Draft Town Belt Management Plan - Wellington City Council

DRAFT TOWN BELT
MANAGEMENT PLAN
October 2012

Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 The Town Belt concept 1
1.2 What is the Wellington Town Belt? 2
1.3 The Town Belt Management Plan 2
1.3.1 Coverage of the plan 5
1.4 Achievements of the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan 7
1.5 Other relevant policies and plans 8
2 Town Belt legislative and policy framework 12
2.1 How is the Town Belt managed? 12
2.2 Town Belt principles 13
2.3 Town Belt legal status 15
2.4 Town Belt alienations 16
2.5 Reinstatement Policy in the 1995 Management Plan and 1998
Reinstatement Policy 17
2.6 The Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika)
Claims Settlement Act 2009 17
2.7 Proposed approach to Town Belt additions 18
2.8 Objective 19
2.9 Policies 19
3 Partnership and community participation 21
3.1 Partnership with mana whenua 21
3.1.1 Objective 23
3.1.2 Policies 23
3.2 Community participation 23
3.2.1 Objective 24
3.2.2 Policies 24
4. Landscape 25
4.1 The Town Belt landscape 25
4.1.1 Wellington’s landscape character 25
4.1.2 Town Belt landscape change 26
4.1.3 The Town Belt landscape today 28
4.2 Objectives 30
4.3 Policies 31
5 Ecology 33
5.1 Historic ecosystems 33
5.2 Current ecological values 34
5.3 Issues and opportunities 35
5.3.1 Restoration 35
5.3.2 Pest management 35
5.3.3 Carbon management 38
5.4 Objectives 38
5.5 Policies 39
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

6 Recreation 41
6.1 Recreational role of Town Belt 41
6.2 What is recreation? 42
6.3 Existing recreational activities 43
6.4 Sporting infrastructure 43
6.5 Objectives 52
6.6 Policies 52
7 Culture and history 55
7.1 Traditional history 55
7.2 Historical outline of the development of the Wellington Town Belt 57
7.3 Sites of interest and historical significance 58
7.4 Objectives 61
7.5 Policies 62
8 Management sectors 63
8.1 Te Ahumairangi Hill 66
8.2 Kelburn Park 79
8.3 Aro Valley 90
8.4 Brooklyn Hills 101
8.5 Macalister Park 112
8.6 Golf Course/Mt Albert 122
8.7 Newtown/Crawford Road 136
8.8 Hataitai Park 149
8.9 Mt Victoria/Matairangi 159
9 Rules for use and development 171
9.1 Objective 171
9.2 Policies 171
9.3 Allowed activities 172
9.4 Managed activities 173
9.5 Decision-making guidelines 175
9.6 Prohibited activities 178
9.7 Wellington City District Plan 182
References 183
Appendix 1: Town Belt and Basin Reserve Deed 1873 184
Appendix 2: Town Belt land schedules 188
Appendix 3: Town Belt traditional history 193
Appendix 4: Town Belt historical outline 206
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
© Wellington City Council
ISBN 978 1877232 688

1 Introduction
The horseshoe shaped Town Belt seen from Te Ahumairangi Hill Lookout
Wellington has a very beautiful natural setting by world standards. The inner city faces north and
east to the natural sweep of Lambton Harbour, and steep hills enclose it from behind. The inner
suburbs cling to these hills of which large areas, including significant ridgetops, are Town Belt.
1.1 The Town Belt concept
Wellington is fortunate to retain a large portion of the space set aside as Town Belt in 1839 under
the instruction of the Secretary of the New Zealand Company, John Ward, who stated:
“It is indeed desirable that the whole outside of the Town, inland, should be separated from the
country by a broad belt of land which you will declare that the Company intends to be public
property on condition that no buildings be ever erected upon it."
Originally held by Central Government (the Crown) after it was gazetted in 1841, this horseshoeshaped
green space on the hills cradling the central city and inner suburbs has been administered
and controlled by Wellington City Council since 1873.
A Town Belt is an area of land set aside during the design of towns and cities to provide a green and
open space for the pleasure and health of the citizens. This design approach had been advocated by
utopian and radical social reformers in Britain since the early 19th century as a means of providing
relief for ordinary citizens from the overcrowding of the cities.
Today it is widely accepted that open space in the city is essential to not only the character and
function of the city but the physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing of its people.
Cities around the world with environmental and social problems are working to improve the urban
environment, and the provision of open space is high on the agenda. Once the built landscape is
there, trying to retrofit the cityscape to include open space is incredibly difficult and often
impossible. Established open space within the urban landscape, (especially a large, diverse,
connected, accessible and visible open space network like the Town Belt), is extremely valuable to
the city and the people who live there.
Contemporary ideas on the value of natural environments fit with the Town Belt concept. The
Town Belt in Wellington protects a large, predominantly natural, open-space environment with a
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 1

huge range of direct and indirect environmental, social, recreational and economic benefits to the
city and its residents.
The concept of a Town Belt has endured through the development of the city. The values associated
with the Town Belt have however changed and continue to evolve as the value and potential values
of open space in the urban environment is more widely debated and understood.
1.2 What is the Wellington Town Belt?
Before the arrival of European colonists, the Town Belt land was under the kaitiakitanga
(guardianship) of the resident iwi/hapu. The earliest documented description and pictures of the
Town Belt have the land covered in forest with the slopes of Mt Victoria/Tangi te keo covered in
kanuka shrubland. The Māori history and traditions related to the places that now make up the
Town Belt go back to the earliest arrival of Māori in Wellington. Two important components of the
Town Belt are the key ridgelines in the east and west of central Wellington, known as Te Ranga a
Hiwi – or the ridge of Hiwi and the ridgeline of Ahumairangi. Hiwi was the son of the daughter of
Tara, the eponymous ancestor of Ngāi Tara. Ngāi Tara were probably the first Māori to settle the
area, constructing pā and developing gardens and using the forests to gather food. Before Ngāi
Tara were others, more of the hunter-gatherer groups known by some as the kahui tipua, who
moved around taking advantage of the natural resources of the region.
The term ‘original Town Belt’ refers to all of the land proclaimed as Town Belt in 1841. being 1544
acres (625 ha) that was set aside from land included in the Port Nicholson Deed of Purchase.
Despite questions about the legality of purchase in 1841, Governor Hobson proclaimed the Town
Belt a Crown reserve, labelled as ‘land ... reserved for the enjoyment of the public and not to be
built upon’ (see map on next page).
The Crown (latterly through the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington) held the land from
1841 to 1871 when it was transferred to the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington by the
Wellington City Reserves Act 1871. The Superintendent was instructed to convey the land ‘upon
such trusts and for such purposes of public utility to the City of Wellington and its inhabitants’ as
the Superintendent wished. The Superintendent executed a deed of trust now usually referred to as
the Town Belt Deed. See Appendix 1. Other land forming the Basin Reserve was ultimately put
into trust under a separate deed.
A total of 1061 acres (429 hectares) was finally conveyed to Wellington City Council on trust to be
forever used as ‘public recreation ground for the inhabitants of the City of Wellington’. The Town
Belt Deed set out how the council was to manage the land and it remains the most important
document for the Town Belt today. The Council holds the land in trust for the citizens of
Wellington and is a similar concept to the public commons in England. A public commons means a
place that has a public good that is free for people to view and enjoy and owned by everyone who
wants to be a part of it.
Since 1841, the growth of Wellington City has meant that over a third of the land originally
designated for Town Belt has been taken for community purposes (see map on next page).
Significant portions of the Town Belt were lost for predominantly Crown uses. These included land
for Wellington College, the Governor General's residence, Victoria University, Wellington Hospital,
and various roads linking the inner city with the suburbs.
Today, the Town Belt is a significant piece of open space that provides a scenic backdrop to the
inner city, brings nature to the heart of the city, and is very important to the health and wellbeing
of residents and visitors.
1.3 The Town Belt Management Plan
The purpose of the Wellington Town Belt Management Plan is to provide Wellington City Council
with a clear framework for making decisions and managing the Town Belt for the next 10 years.
2
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Karo ri
Ow hiro Bay
Sector 1
Te Ahumairangi Hill
Wilton
Sector 2
Kelburn Park
Sector 3
Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Sector 4
Brooklyn Hills
Highb ury
Sector 5
Macalister Park
Broo klyn
Sector 6
Golf Course / Mt Albert
Northland
Kin gston
Kelburn
Aro Va lley
Morningto n
Vo geltow n
Islan d Bay
Te Aro
Mt C ook
Berh amp ore
Tho rn don
Wellingt on C entral
Wadesto wn
New tow n
Land managed under the Town Belt Management Plan
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Pip ite a
Mt Victoria
Melro se
Orienta l B ay
Lya ll Ba y
Hata it ai
Kilbirnie
Rosen eath
Sector 9
Mt Victoria / Matairangi
Sector 8
Hataitai Park
Sector 7
Newtown / Crawford Road
Town Belt sectors
Ron gotai
0 250 500 1,000
metres
scale 1:29,000
¯
Miram ar
Original Town Belt - 1841
Chest Hospital
Wellington Zoo
Suburbs
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 3

4
Town Belt between the suburbs of Thorndon and Wilton.
In 2011 the Council approved a set of guiding principles to guide and support the review of the 1995
management plan.
This draft management plan identifies:
• the legal framework for the Town Belt
• the guiding principles
• the long-term vision for the Town Belt
• the natural and cultural features of the Town Belt and how these will be protected
• recreational role and activities on the Town Belt
• general management objectives and policies
• actions required to implement this plan.
The guiding principles provide the wider community’s values and aspirations for the Town Belt and
provide a framework for decision making. They are fully described in section 2.2.
The objectives and policies in this plan explain the intended methods for the protection,
management, development, operation and public use of the Town Belt.
Structure of the plan: In order to provide a framework to achieve connectivity and sustainability on
the Town Belt, this plan is principally structured around eight key themes:
1. Town Belt legislative and policy framework
2. Partnership and community participation
3. Landscape
4. Ecology and biodiversity
5. Recreation
6. Culture and history
7. Management sectors
8. Rules for use and development
While the plan is structured around themes, the Town Belt is divided into sectors for the purposes
of implementation and ease of understanding for local communities (see section 8). Each sector
recognises the complexity of the topography, vegetation, uses and communities of interest inherent
in the Town Belt. These sectors are:
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

1. Te Ahumairangi Hill
2. Kelburn Park
3. Aro Valley
4. Brooklyn Hills
5. Macalister Park
6. Golf Course/Mt Albert
7. Newtown/Crawford Road
8. Hataitai Park
9. Mt Victoria/Matairangi
The general policies need to be read alongside the specific policies for each sector. The sector
policies take precedence over the general policies. The minimum period for review of this
management plan is five years from the date it is adopted.
1.3.1 Coverage of the plan
Objectives and policies in the plan will cover:
• 389.68 hectares held in trust under the Town Belt Deed, and
• 85.4375 hectares of reserve land managed as Town Belt.
See map on page 3 and 6, and Appendix 2.
Policies are not included for the Wellington Botanic Garden or the Wellington Zoo or Wellington
showgrounds (except the artificial turf behind Te Whaea).
Wellington Botanic Garden: In 1839 the New Zealand Company allocated 13 acres of Town
Belt land for a Botanic Garden alongside what is now Glenmore Street.
In 1869 the Botanic Garden Act was passed and management of the garden was entrusted to a
board under the auspices of the New Zealand Institute, the forerunner of the Royal Society of New
Zealand.
In 1891 the Wellington Botanic Garden Vesting Act dissolved the Botanic Garden Board and vested
control in Wellington City Council. Wellington Botanic Garden is not covered by the provisions of
the Town Belt Deed.
The Botanic Garden is classified as Local Purpose Reserve (Botanic Garden) under the Reserves
Act 1977 and managed under the Combined Management Plan (Wellington Botanic Garden,
Anderson Park, Bolton Street Memorial Park (2002).
Wellington Zoo: The Zoological Garden, established in 1906, sits on land managed in trust by
the Council under the Town Belt Deed. It is an accepted historic use within the Town Belt. The zoo
operation is now managed under the Wellington Zoo Trust Deed (2003).
Wellington showgrounds: In 1959 5.223 ha of land in Hutchinson Road was suspended from
the Town Belt Deed by the Wellington City Exhibition Act. If this Act is repealed or the lease
terminates, the showground land will automatically return to Town Belt management.
Since 2010, the Council-managed area known as Te Whaea artificial sportsfield has been removed
from the Premises Management Lease for the showgrounds. This area will be managed as part of
the Town Belt.
Road reserve that adjoins Town Belt land managed under this management plan will be
managed in a consistent manner with the objectives and policies of this plan.
Chest Hospital: The former Chest Hospital land (Chest Hospital) and buildings were transferred
at no cost to the Council in December 2002 by the Capital & Coast District Health Board. The
acquisition was consistent with the Town Belt Reinstatement Policy 1998.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 5

6
Wilton
Victoria University
Ow hiro Bay
Highb ury
Broo klyn
Wellington Show Grounds
(suspended from Deed)
Northland
Kin gston
Kelburn
Aro Va lley
Morningto n
Status of Original Town Belt
Vo geltow n
Islan d Bay
Te Aro
Mt C ook
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Berh amp ore
Tho rn don
Wellingt on C entral
Wadesto wn
New tow n
Pip ite a
Mt Victoria
Wellington
Botanic Garden
Orienta l B ay
Hata it ai
Government House
Kilbirnie
Lya ll Ba y
Chest Hospital
Rosen eath
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
Ron gotai
0 250 500 1,000
metres
scale 1:29,000
¯
Miram ar
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Original Town Belt - 1841
Wellington Zoo
Suburbs
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Ministry of Education land -
Wellington College and
Wellington East Girls' College

The historic nature of the Chest Hospital and the need to enable a long term sustainable use mean
that specific objectives and policies have been prepared in Management Sector 7.
These objectives and policies will generally be consistent with the objectives and policies of this
management plan. However the specific policies for the Chest Hospital will take precedence over
the general policies of the plan.
1.4 Achievements of the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan
The 1995 plan provided strategic direction for the future management and development of the
Town Belt. In particular:
1. There has been significant recovery of original sections of Town Belt, including Telecom
land at Te Ahumairangi Hill (23.33 hectares), and the Chest Hospital (3.21 hectares).
Equally, there has been no further loss of Town Belt land held by Council, and
encroachments on the Town Belt have been more effectively identified and monitored.
Some major encroachments have been resolved, such as the Presbyterian Support Services
easement in Berhampore and access to Upper Weld Street. The Crown has not sold off any
Original Town Belt land since 1995.
2. The Town Belt Reinstatement Policy 1998.
3. Increased recreational use of the Town Belt has been possible with the following
developments:
Major improvements to visitor and sporting facilities include:
• Mt Victoria lookout
• Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill) landscape plan including the lookout at
the southern end
• Central Park redevelopment
• Newtown Park
• Rugby League Park redevelopment including the Te Whaea artificial
• National Hockey Stadium parking
• Development of two artificial sportsfields at Wakefield Park
• New skatepark at Island Bay.
Improved access and events for recreational enjoyment include:
• City to Sea walkway
• Mt Victoria track upgrades and mountain bike circuit
• International mountain bike championships
• World running championships.
4. Some surplus buildings have been removed from the Town Belt and the land has been
returned to open space.
5. There has been interpretation and protection of some of the historic features, including
restoring the Grant Road fountain and the entrance of Central Park, installing a plaque at
Stellin Memorial, and providing information at the Mt Victoria and Te Ahumairangi Hill
lookouts.
6. The managed vegetation on the Town Belt has flourished, largely as a result of protection by
the Council, weed and possum-control programmes and the great work of volunteer groups
involved in revegetation and restoration projects. There are now 13 volunteer groups
working on the Town Belt.
• A possum control programme covers the entire Town Belt
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8
• A weed-control programme for the Town Belt targets, in particular, old man’s
beard, banana passionfruit and climbing asparagus
• Revegetation of 27 hectares with native ecosourced plants.
7. The managed vegetation on the Town Belt has been gradually changing from pine trees to
native forest. Over 26 hectares of exotic trees (mainly pines) have been removed and areas
replanted with native species in accordance with the Town Belt Management Plan.
Places where exotic trees have been replaced include:
• Te Ahumairangi Hill
• Telford Terrace (above Oriental Bay)
• Finnimore Terrace (in Vogeltown)
• Berhampore Golf Course
• Owen Street (in Newtown).
1.5 Other relevant policies and plans
Other plans that give guidance in the development of this plan are listed below:
Wellington towards 2040: Smart Capital
Wellington City Council’s vision for Wellington is focused on the future development of the city
over the next 30 years. It builds on Wellington’s current strengths, acknowledges the challenges the
city faces now and over the medium to long term, understands the changing role of cities, and is
informed by Wellington’s communities. The vision is supported by four community outcomes
based on the city’s competitive advantage. These are: eco-city; connected city; people-centred city
and dynamic central city. These goals are central to the Council's Long Term Plan 2012–2022.
Central City Framework (2011)
This is a spatial structure plan that provides overall context, direction for future planning,
coordination, prioritisation and assessment of key city projects. The resulting central city open
space strategy has 10 key elements, and there are two that specifically relate to the Town Belt:
• Big space links: There are large open areas that can play an improved role in the
provision of open space in the city. Primarily these are the Town Belt and waterfront.
Improving the links to these from the city area – and providing additional amenities within
these large open areas – will enable increased use.
• Cross-valley links: The greening of city streets with ‘urban forest’ across the valley will
enhance urban ecology and reduce the hardness of the city-scape. This will also provide
corridors across the valley to join the town belts and enhance accessibility.
Capital Spaces – Open Space Strategy for Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara
This strategy was developed in 1998 and provides directions for an integrated approach to
managing the natural and recreational environment, including recognising important landscape
features. The Town Belt is part of the ‘Inner Green Belts’ open space:
“a series of green belts or corridors, rich in ecological, recreational and heritage values,
which weave green open space through the city, containing and identifying the suburbs and
connecting other open spaces”
Capital Spaces is currently under review.
Biodiversity Action Plan (2007)
The Biodiversity Action Plan coordinates the Council’s biodiversity activities and identifies local
priorities and actions for biodiversity. Biodiversity activities include pest control, revegetation
planting, and partnerships with other organisations and groups.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

The outcomes of the plan include:
• identifying the current state of Wellington’s biodiversity and the areas/species that
require the most protection
• protecting Wellington’s indigenous biodiversity on public and private land
• motivating the community to become more involved in biodiversity conservation
• working closely with other organisations to ensure the conservation of Wellington’s
biodiversity
• restoring our indigenous biodiversity where possible and ensuring it is easily accessible
for all Wellingtonians
• generating quality information through monitoring and research to enable us to conserve
and manage our biodiversity into the future.
Open Space Access Plan (2008)
This plan sets out the Council’s strategic vision for tracks in the city’s parks, reserves and open
spaces. The plan’s vision is to strengthen and improve the open space access network by:
• providing outstanding opportunities for recreation and tourism within the open
spaces of Wellington
• ensuring tracks provide for a range of user interests, skills, abilities and fitness levels
within each area
• achieving a quality primary network accessing major destination points in Wellington
and adjoining districts, and linking with an equitable distribution of secondary and
local track networks and recreational facilities.
Playground Policy (2002)
This policy defines how the Council will provide playgrounds to the community in an equitable
manner, recognising the needs of communities and suburbs and taking into account constraints of
topography and funding. The objective of the Playgrounds Policy is therefore:
The provision of a range of safe, enjoyable and stimulating playgrounds across the
city in a way that best meets the needs of children, care-givers, communities and
the city for access, safety, amenity and maintenance.
Working towards this objective will establish an adequate provision of playgrounds in Wellington,
as well as ensuring that excessive provision does not occur.
Climate Change Action Plan (2010)
This plan identifies cost-effective initiatives for Council operations and the community that will
help the Council achieve its carbon neutral vision, and promote sustainable behaviour. The plan is
divided into seven action areas: Actions of relevance to the Town Belt:
Adaptation
A1 A vulnerability assessment for the city to the impacts of climate change ($130k OPEX
over two years).
A2 Improve preparation for more frequent extreme weather events.
A3 Enhance guidance for asset management on climate change risks.
A7 Investigate opportunities to ‘green’ the roofs of council and city facilities and promote
tree planting.
Forestry
F2 Investigate the impact of an enhanced pest-management programme in council forests to
increase carbon sequestration.
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F3 Investigate opportunities to develop forest sinks with other councils to meet respective
ETS obligations.
Council operations
C4 Develop a policy to manage carbon credits and obligations.
C5 Investigate development tools that encourage energy efficiency, quality urban design and
built environment.
Wellington City District Plan
This is the Council’s principal regulatory document setting out objectives and policies, methods
and rules for managing the city environment, land uses and associated activities.
The Wellington City District Plan is prepared in accordance with the Resource Management Act
1991 and is based on the principles of sustainability:
• Dependency: All life depends on the health of the natural environment.
• Irreversibility: Some actions can result in permanent loss of species, landforms and
heritage.
• Diversity is necessary in both natural and urban environments. It can enable
communities to adapt to change.
• Efficiency in the use of renewable and non-renewable resources.
• Finite resources: recognition that all resources are finite.
• Equity in access to and the use of resources. Includes enabling communities to care for
their environment and influence change.
• Precautionary approach should be taken where there is uncertainty and potential for
significant harm.
The Wellington Town Belt is identified as a separate open space area Open Space C (Inner Town
Belt) in the Wellington District Plan. The District Plan’s policies, objectives and rules will relate to
the management plan. In particular the District Plan proposes to:
16.5.1.2 Recognise the special status of the Inner Town Belt as public recreation land held in
trust by the Council under the Town Belt Deed 1873 and identify that land on the
District Plan maps.
16.5.1.3 Manage the impacts of activities in the Inner Town Belt in order to protect and preserve
its special qualities for the benefit of future generations.
In addition to policy guidance the District Plan has rules for Town Belt land. The rules allow the
Council to exercise control on the type of building and activity that occurs, and this control is
exercised by way of the resource consent process. The rules reflect the status of the Town Belt, but
have not been reviewed since the District Plan became operative in 2000. A review of all Open
Space rules (including the Town Belt / Open Space C rules) is currently programmed as a high
priority review in the District Plan work programme. Notification of a plan change for this area is
scheduled in the 2013–14 financial year. This will provide an opportunity to amend the policies and
rules if it is determined they are no longer considered fit for purpose.
Draft Leases Policy for Community and Recreation Groups (under review)
The Council provides leases of land and/or buildings at a subsidised rental to a wide range of
community and recreation groups (groups). As Council-owned land and buildings are a limited
resource, the Council needs to allocate this resource in a way that maximises the use of its assets
and responds to changing demands.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

The Draft Leases Policy for Community and Recreation Groups (policy) sets out the Council’s role
in leasing land and/or buildings to groups and provides guidance on:
• granting leases of land and/or buildings to community and recreation groups
• managing leases relating to the groups
• the standard to which land and/or buildings will be maintained to ensure appropriate asset
management.
The objectives of the policy are to:
• ensure maximum community benefit is derived from Council-owned land and buildings
• strengthen participation and engagement in community and recreational activities
• ensure leases are managed fairly, processes are transparent and Council officers have the
flexibility to respond to community needs.
The policy applies to all community and recreation groups that lease Council owned land and/or
buildings.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 11

2 Town Belt legislative and policy framework
Land acquired by Council for Town Belt purposes but not protected under the Deed:
Chest Hospital (2002) and Vice Regal Park (1981 and 1990)
behind Wellington Hospital in Newtown
2.1 How is the Town Belt managed?
The Wellington Town Belt comprises 389.68 hectares held in Trust under the Town Belt Deed.
The deed is the key document giving Council legal authority over the Town Belt and provides
primary powers to make rules and regulations to govern the use of the Town Belt (See section 2.3).
The deed is almost 140 years old. Its age, archaic language and nature, however, means it is too
general to provide clear guidance and consistency for the management decisions that need to be
made on a regular basis. For this reason, and to follow best practice, the Council adopted the
current Town Belt Management Plan in 1995. This attempted to translate the intent of the deed
into a set of operational practices through two statements of purpose (aims) and a number of
policies on how different aspects of the Town Belt should be managed.
In 2011 the Council approved a set of guiding principles to support the review of the management
plan.
The current management and governance framework is as follows:
12
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Governance
Management
2.2 Town Belt principles
Town Belt Deed
Trustee (Council)
Town Belt Management Plan
• Guiding principles
• Objectives/policies/rules
Operational practice
Guiding principles summarise common values shared by an organisation or a group of people for a
collective purpose. They are developed by organisations to give their staff a clear understanding of
the organisation’s priorities and guide them on how they should behave in the multitude of different
situations they encounter in their work.
Guiding principles are not rules or policies and do not dictate or set specific directives on how the
Town Belt should be managed. Instead they are used to develop policies and guide decision making.
The draft guiding principles for the Town Belt were developed from feedback on the wider
community’s values and aspirations for the Town Belt. They are relatively generic, representing a
generally accepted view for the Town Belt from a number of widely different perspectives.
The final principles were approved by the Council on 16 December 2011:
Reserves Act
1977 and other
legislation
Reserves Act 1977
and other
legislation
Other Council
plans and
policies
1. The Wellington Town Belt will be protected and enhanced by the Council for
future generations.
This reflects the Council’s commitment to ensuring that the Town Belt will be protected
for Wellingtonians to enjoy.
The physical size and continuity of the Town Belt will be retained and enhanced.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 13

14
2. The Town Belt will continue to be governed in trust by the Council, under the
1873 Deed and subsequent legislation on behalf of the citizens of Wellington.
3. The Council will work in partnership with mana whenua to manage the Town
Belt.
This recognises that mana whenua will have an ongoing role in the management of the Town
Belt, consistent with our current relationship.
4. The Town Belt’s landscape character will be protected and enhanced.
The landscape character of the Town Belt has changed and been modified since humans first
interacted with it. The Council will protect and enhance the key features of this landscape
character (acknowledging that vegetation change will occur over time), which are:
the continuous ‘horseshoe’ shape of hills between the central business district and
surrounding suburbs
the vegetated slopes interspersed with areas of open ground
undeveloped skylines (ie Te Ahumairangi and Mt Victoria/Te Ranga a Hiwi etc.)
the contrast between the patchwork of native and exotic vegetation and the densely
developed central business district.
5. The Town Belt will support healthy populations of indigenous biodiversity.
The Town Belt already has an important role in bringing nature to the city and has the
potential to expand that role by acting as a hub for indigenous biodiversity and improving the
city’s ecological resilience.
Key factors for supporting healthy populations of indigenous biodiversity include:
the connectivity of indigenous vegetation to facilitate movement within and through the
Town Belt
sufficient natural habitat (including streams and bush) to maintain native animal
populations
ensuring pest species do not threaten indigenous biodiversity.
6. The Town Belt is for all to enjoy.
This concerns equity of access and use of the Town Belt. The Council believes that the Town
Belt should be available for all Wellingtonians to enjoy.
7. The Town Belt will be used for a wide range of recreation activities.
The Town Belt should cater for a wide range of sporting and recreation activities, managed in
a way to minimise conflict between different users. Co-location and intensification of sports
facilities within existing hubs and buildings is supported where appropriate.
8. The Council will encourage and support community participation in the
management of the Town Belt.
This recognises that Wellingtonians will have an ongoing role in the management of the Town
Belt. The Council values community input and acknowledges the work of individuals and
groups to protect, enhance and use the Town Belt. The Council will support and encourage
community participation, which underpins long-term sustainability.
9. Management of the Town Belt will acknowledge historical and cultural links to
the land.
The Town Belt has a rich and diverse history and the Council recognises that the historical
link of mana whenua to the land has not been well acknowledged in the past. The Council
intends to take significant historical and cultural values into account when making decisions
about the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

2.3 Town Belt legal status
The Town Belt is land held by the Council as the trustee of a charitable trust created in 1873.
Under the Wellington City Reserves Act 1871, the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington was
directed to convey the land that was to become the modern Town Belt:
"to the Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses for the time being of the City of Wellington to
hold the same to the said Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses and their successors upon
such trusts and for such purposes of public utility to the City of Wellington and its
inhabitants as shall in and by the Deed or Deeds of conveyance thereof be expressed
and declared".
The Superintendent complied with this direction by settling a trust. On 20 March 1873 a deed was
sealed by the Superintendent which conveyed the Town Belt land to Council's predecessor upon trust
"to be forever hereafter used and appropriated as a public Recreation ground for the
inhabitants of the City of Wellington in such manner as in and by such rules and
regulations to be from time to time made in that behalf by the [Council] shall be
prescribed and directed".
The deed also empowered the Council to lease parts of the Town Belt in order to raise revenue for the
purposes set out in the Wellington City Reserves Act 1871 and the Wellington City Reserves Act 1872.
These purposes were to fund the 'ornamentation and utilisation of the Town Belt', the Board of
Governors of the Botanic Gardens, and the construction and maintenance of various roads. This
power is now effectively historic.
As well as being the property of a charitable trust, the Town Belt is also a recreation reserve under the
Reserves Act 1977.
While the Reserves Act 1977 is probably the most important source of Council's day-to-day powers,
under section 5(2) of that Act, it applies to the Town Belt subject to the 1873 Deed 1 .
The Council's primary duty is to execute the trust created by the 1873 deed in accordance with its
terms and the general law. In other words, the Council's powers must be exercised in a manner that is
consistent with the charitable object of using the Town Belt as a public recreation ground for the
inhabitants of Wellington.
The Council's most important powers can be summarised as follows:
General management powers
Under the 1873 deed, the Council may manage the Town Belt "in such manner as in and by such
rules and regulations to be from time to time made in that behalf by the [Council] shall be
prescribed and directed". In practice however, Council manages the Town Belt under the powers it
has in respect of recreation reserves under the Reserves Act 1977.
Under section 41(11) of the Reserves Act 1977 Council must, in the exercise of its functions, comply
with the Town Belt Management Plan.
Leasing powers: The Council may lease parts of the Town Belt in accordance with section 54 of the
Reserves Act 1977.
1 The Council's powers as the trustee of the Town Belt come from the 1873 Deed, the Wellington (City) Town
Belt Reserves Act 1908, the Trustee Act 1956, and the Reserves Act 1977
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 15

Powers to grant easements: The Council may grant rights of way and other easements over the
Town Belt in accordance with section 48 of the Reserves Act 1977.
Powers to grant licences: The Council may grant licences to use parts of the Town Belt in
accordance with section 54 of the Reserves Act 1977.
2.4 Town Belt alienations
The Crown (latterly through the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington) held the Town Belt
from 1841 to 1871 and, despite instructions from the New Zealand Company that the land was not to
be built upon, one third of the original Town Belt (around 195 ha) was alienated and developed for
community and social welfare purposes. For example, land for the McCleverty Awards, hospital,
‘lunatic’ and educational purposes, and the Mt Victoria signal station. These alienations and others
after 1871 are described below.
The alienations were well intended in response to community pressures and problems. The perceived
value of the Town Belt’s continuous open space was considered much less than the need to find
affordable land for community facilities. Consequently, the size, continuity and shape of the original
Town Belt changed significantly (see the map of original Town Belt on page 3).
The first alienations took place in 1847 with the McCleverty Awards that allocated around 200 acres
(80.94ha) of the 1544 acres to Maori in recompense for settlers occupying Maori land in Thorndon.
The 200 acres now comprises the “Ex-Telecom” land on Te Ahumairangi Hill and land that has
subsequently been developed for residential housing in Northland, Thorndon, Kelburn, Aro Valley,
Brooklyn and Vogeltown. The remaining land was approximately 1344 acres (543.9ha).
In 1861, of the 1344 acres, 1234 acres (499.4ha) was granted by the Crown to the Superintendent of
Wellington Province to be held “in trust for the purposes of public utility of the Town of
Wellington...” The 100 acre shortfall appears to include land at and around the Basin Reserve and
land allocated for Wesleyan Reserve of which parts are part of the Wellington Botanic Garden.
In 1872, the Superintendent allocated a total of at least 166 acres (67.18ha) of the 1234 acres for
public utility purposes. This comprised 143 acres (57.87ha) for college purposes and a lunatic asylum.
This land is now occupied by Wellington Hospital, the ‘Ex-Chest Hospital’ land off Alexandra Road,
Wellington College, Wellington East Girls College and the Vice Regal property. The Superintendent
also allocated 18 acres (7.28ha) at Clifton Terrace for general hospital purposes and 5 acres (2.02ha)
at the top of Mt Victoria for a signal station.
The purposes of community health, education and communication fall within the wide meaning of
the phrase public utility, and accordingly are legally authorised in terms of the 1861 grant. The 166
acres was never subject to legal protection of the more narrow purpose of public recreation ground
under the 1873 deed.
In 1873, only 1061 acres (429 hectares) was finally conveyed to the Wellington City Council on trust
to be forever used as “public recreation ground for the inhabitants of the City of Wellington”. It is
only this land that has been subject to trust for Town Belt reserve purposes. Since 1873, and contrary
to the trust, land has been removed from the Town Belt by the Crown and/or the City Council. To do
this requires legislative change. Since 1873, there have been the following alienations:
16
• land occupied by Victoria University
• land off Colville/Paeroa streets in Newtown
• ex-tram depot, now Council housing in Mansfield Street, Newtown
• electricity substation on Nairn Street
• Te Aro School land, Abel Smith Street
• ex-fire brigade land at the top of Constable Street
• land for roads as the city expanded.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

2.5 Reinstatement policy in the 1995 Management Plan and 1998
Reinstatement Policy
The 1995 Town Belt Management Plan aimed to reinstate to Town Belt status all original Town Belt
land owned by the Crown or Crown agencies and extend the Town Belt by adding new areas to
enhance public recreational and green belt qualities, such as the reserve areas between existing Town
Belt and Wellington’s south coast, and between the Town Belt and Zealandia (Karori Wildlife
Sanctuary).
The Town Belt Reinstatement Policy 1998 had the following objectives:
• To assess the extent to which there is a legitimate grievance.
• To restore to Town Belt status land originally envisaged for Town Belt and which is suitable
for such purposes.
• For land that is suitable for Town Belt purposes but which is substantially constrained in
some manner (eg by existing buildings meriting preservation or is land which forms an
integral part of non-Town Belt activity, notably schools), either:
• safeguard the open-space qualities of the area concerned from inappropriate
development and obtain agreement for the land to be returned to Town Belt status if it
is no longer required for those purposes or
• seek compensation (eg financial, land exchange) in exchange for the alienated land or
• recommend a mix of initiatives appropriate to the particular situation.
• For land that is no longer suitable for open-space purposes, assess whether it is appropriate
to seek compensation.
• Assess the Council’s own past actions towards Town Belt land that has been alienated.
• Recommend action to obtain Crown acknowledgement of the Council’s grievance.
• Minimise the risk and cost to the Council, particularly from litigation, in achieving the above
goal and objectives.
Since 1995, the Council has acquired the following land for Town Belt purposes:
• former Telecom land and Rangiohua land on Te Ahumairangi Hill
• former Chest Hospital land on Mt Victoria.
More information about these acquisitions is found in section 8 (8.1 and 8.7).
The Council cannot add this land to Town Belt, without special legislation.
2.6 The Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te
Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009
The 2009 Treaty Settlement of Taranaki Whānui gave mana whenua right of first refusal for some
sections of former Town Belt land still held by the Crown or Crown agency. If the Crown wanted to
dispose of the land it must be offered first to the trustees of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust (PNBST).
The Claims Settlement Act has altered the Council’s approach to the reinstatement of original Town
Belt land owned by the Crown or Crown agency.
The Council’s priority is to identify land it wants returned to the Town Belt by following the Town
Belt Assessment criteria. The Council will then negotiate how this land can be returned to Town Belt
with the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust and relevant Crown agencies.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 17

The Council will no longer hold a grievance with the Crown on behalf of the citizens of Wellington,
but will work with the Crown and PNBST concerning land that has been ‘lost’ from the Town Belt as
originally set aside by the New Zealand Company.
2.7 Proposed approach to Town Belt additions
Regaining the original 1841 boundary of the Town Belt is unrealistic considering the way the City has
developed. A majority of the alienated original Town Belt land has either been subdivided into private
residential property or used for a community purpose, such as Wellington Hospital and Victoria
University. The Council’s policy is to recognise and provide for the continued operation and
development of Wellington Hospital and Victoria University.
The proposed priorities focus on protecting existing Town Belt land from any further reduction,
strengthening its continuity and open-space values through land additions and boundary
adjustments, and ensuring formal legal Town Belt status of land identified to be added to the Town
Belt.
It is the Council’s intention to continue to protect the existing Town Belt through the provisions of
the 1873 Town Belt Deed.
In situations where removal of Town Belt land occurs outside the Council’s control (eg by the central
government through legislation), the Council will pursue the replacement of this land with open
space land of equal value or character to be returned to the Town Belt.
There are three categories of land that could potentially be added to the Town Belt. They are:
1. Land alienated from the original Town Belt but still suitable for Town Belt purposes
This includes:
• land currently owned by the Council but not protected by the Deed. For example, former Vice
Regal, Chest Hospital, and Telecom land and Stellin Memorial Park. These areas are included
in this management plan.
• land currently owned by the Crown or Crown agency. This land is now subject to the Port
Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009 giving
Taranaki Whānui the right of first refusal to acquire when any of these properties are declared
surplus (See 2.9.5). This land includes:
• land at Clifton Terrace (former Correspondence School site)
• land at Abel Smith Street (open-space land adjacent to Te Aro School)
• part of the Wellington College
• part of Government House (this land is not covered by the right of first refusal
provisions).
2. Existing Council reserve land not part of the original Town Belt
This includes:
• land that strengthens the original Town Belt concept such as Point Jerningham, Western
Slopes Reserve and the Rangiohua lands, and
• land that extends the Town Belt concept area such as Tawatawa ridge and Houghton Valley
reserves.
3. Small pieces of land identified through Town Belt boundary adjustments
In 1994, as part of the preparation of the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan, the Council
completed a Town Belt land status investigation. This identified some legal anomalies relating to
the Town Belt boundaries. For example:
• where roads have divided the land and created small unworkable alienations so that the land
effectively functions as road reserve
18
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• where actual road alignments differ significantly from the legal roads on land title documents.
Boundary adjustments are required so that the legal Town Belt boundary conforms to the
physical boundary. This may require land to be either removed or added to the Town Belt.
Previous policy on Town Belt additions primarily focused on whether the land was part of the original
envisaged Town Belt boundary of 1840. Although a historical basis is an important consideration, any
additions to the Town Belt should be assessed to ensure the land complements and/or strengthens
the Town Belt’s distinguishable character in addition to its historical basis.
Assessment criteria for addition of land to Town Belt are based on what makes the Town Belt
distinct and recognisable. The Town Belt’s distinguishable features include its:
• perceived continuity and horseshoe shape of open space, comprising the first line of hills and
undeveloped skylines encircling the central city
• geographic location and close visual relationship with the central city and inner suburbs
• patchwork and diversity of vegetation cover
• availability to be used for a wide range of sporting and recreation activities
• accessibility and provision of linkages to key community destinations
• rich historical and cultural links with Wellington citizens and mana whenua.
There is more information about the possible additions to the Town Belt and boundary adjustments
in each sector. The assessment criteria have been used to recommend additions and rationalisations.
2.8 Objective
To protect and enhance the Wellington Town Belt in a consistent manner that
strengthens the Town Belt concept and continuity.
2.9 Policies
Protection of the Town Belt
2.9.1 To protect Town Belt land under the 1873 Town Belt Deed.
2.9.2 The physical size of the Town Belt will be retained and enhanced.
2.9.3 If the Crown proposes to take Town Belt land for a public work then the Council will pursue
its replacement with Crown land of equal or greater landscape, ecological, and or recreational
value for Town Belt purposes.
Town Belt additions
2.9.4 Land shall be added to the Town Belt that complements and strengthens the distinctive Town
Belt character based on the following criteria:
1. The land strengthens the visual and/or physical continuity of the Town Belts
horseshoe shape and/or has a visual connection with the central city and/or inner
suburbs.
2. The land has consistent or complementary landscape and recreational values to
neighbouring Town Belt.
3. The land may have ecological and/or cultural features that require protection.
4. The land may have been part of the original Town Belt in 1841.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 19

20
These criteria must be taken together and not used in isolation however, in particular
circumstances, certain criteria may have more relevance or weight.
2.9.5 The Council will work in partnership with the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, the
Crown and relevant Crown agencies regarding the reinstatement of original Town Belt land as
per the criteria in 2.9.4.
Legalising additions to Town Belt
2.9.6 To seek formal Town Belt status for all land identified to be added to the Town Belt in
Appendix 2 by introducing Town Belt legislation.
2.9.7 To adjust the legal boundary of the Town Belt so it conforms with the physical boundary
where appropriate. These areas are identified in the sector plans.
2.9.8 Land identified to be either added or removed from the Town Belt as part of the legal
boundary adjustment programme shall be included in the Town Belt legislation.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

3 Partnership and community participation
The Mayor, Councillors and Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust members
at the opening of Te Ahumairangi Hill lookout
3. Partnership and community participation
The Town Belt is an essential part of what people recognise to be characteristically ‘Wellington’. It
is important to Wellingtonians and visitors, whether they visit the Town Belt or not. The Council
recognises that it governs 3 the Town Belt in trust for the people of Wellington. The Council will
work in partnership with mana whenua and the wider community to involve them in the ongoing
management 4 of the Town Belt.
3.1 Partnership with mana whenua
Guiding principle
The Council will work in partnership with mana whenua to manage the Town Belt.
This recognises that mana whenua will have an ongoing role in the management of the Town Belt,
consistent with our current relationship.
3 Governance involves setting the strategic direction for matters involving the Town Belt and ensuring there are funds for
implementation.
4 Management means carrying out the governance decisions
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 21

The Waitangi Tribunal found that at 1840 the iwi groups that had take raupatu 4 , or rights of
conquest over all the lands within the Port Nicholson block were: Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Ruanui,
Taranaki, Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. However, the Tribunal also found that these iwi
each had their own ahi kā 5 over particular areas as follows:
22
• Te Ātiawa at Te Whanganui ā Tara and parts of the south-west coast
• Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui at Te Aro
• Ngāti Tama at Kaiwharawhara and environs, and parts of the south-west coast
• Ngāti Toa at parts of the south-west coast
From 1840, when the first New Zealand Company ships began to arrive at Port Nicholson
(Wellington), conflict quickly escalated between local Māori (mana whenua) and new settlers. Land
inhabited by mana whenua was invalidly ‘purchased’ by the New Zealand Company and sold to
settlers. As settler numbers increased, mana whenua were forcibly displaced and their lands taken
– including that area of land now known as the Town Belt.
Following their initial displacement and the subsequent loss of almost all their land, mana whenua
struggled to obtain the return of their lands through legal means eg McCleverty Award.
For more than 150 years little progress was made to resolve the grievances of mana whenua and
address the historical deprivation they had experienced. This changed in 2003, following the
release of the Waitangi Tribunal report Te Whanganui ā Tara me ōna Takiwā on the Wellington
District. In this report, the Tribunal concluded that serious breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi by
the Crown occurred in the Port Nicholson Block, and in particular:
“The Tribunal finds that the Crown, in taking most of the Town Belt land from Māori without
their consent or any consultation, and without making any payment, acted in breach of article 2
of the Treaty and failed to respect the rangatiratanga of Māori in and over their land.”
The Tribunal recommended that representatives of these groups enter into negotiation with the
Crown to settle these grievances.
Following the publication of the 2003 report, the Crown entered into negotiations with the
claimants representing the descendants of tūpuna of Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāti
Tama. The Crown mandated claimant collective was named Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika.
After six years of negotiation, the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika)
Claims Settlement Act 2009 came into force on 2 September 2009 following a signing between the
Crown and representatives of Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika.
The Crown are currently negotiating with Ngati Toa for the settlement of their claims in relation to
the Port Nicholson Block. The Crown also found that in regards to Ngati Toa the Crown failed to
act reasonably and in good faith and failed to protect the customary interests of Ngati Toa in and
over the Port Nicholson block.
At present, Wellington City Council’s relationship with mana whenua 6 is managed through
Memoranda of Understanding (MOU’s) with the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust and Te
Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Incorporated. Mana whenua have indicated that they wish to be more
involved in the future management of the Town Belt.
4 Take raupatu refers to rights associated with conquest and is described as interests in: “…a wider area in which a
group had more general rights by virtue of having participated in the conquest of that area, provided the group had
sufficient strength to sustain those rights.”
5 Ahi kā refers to non-contestable rights associated with occupation and is described as interests in:
“…those areas which a group resided on or cultivated, or where it enjoyed the continuing use of the surrounding
resources, provided such occupation or use was not successfully challenged by other Māori groups. Ahi kā is used in the
report only in respect of those areas where a group had established non-contestable rights…”
6 Mana whenua means customary authority exercised by an iwi or hapu in an identified area.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

3.1.1 Objective
The Council and mana whenua will work in partnership on the management and
development of the Wellington Town Belt.
3.1.2 Policies
3.1.2.1 Wellington City Council recognises the significance of Town Belt lands to mana whenua
3.1.2.2 Mana whenua and Wellington City Council agree that to the extent that they are able
under the Reserves Act 1977 and the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te
Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009, and the Town Belt Deed (1873) and any
other relevant legislation or future deed of settlement with Ngati toa they will have
particular regard to the mana whenua view.
3.1.2.3 Mana whenua will recognise the role of Wellington City Council on matters relating to
governance of the Town Belt under the Town Belt Deed (1873)
3.1.2.4 Mana whenua and Wellington City Council will meet annually to review and report on
the performance of the management year and proposed work programme for the
upcoming year.
3.1.2.5 Wellington City Council will work with the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust for
the protection of former Town Belt land identified as Right of First Refusal (RFR) in the
Deed of Settlement.
3.2 Community participation
Guiding principle
The Council will encourage and support community participation
in the management of the Town Belt.
This recognises that Wellingtonians will have an ongoing role in the management of the Town Belt.
The Council values community input and acknowledges the work of individuals and groups to
protect enhance and use the Town Belt. The Council will support and encourage community
participation, which underpins long-term sustainability.
There has always been public involvement in the management, development and protection of the
Town Belt. This involvement ranges from individuals who look after the area of Town Belt adjacent
to their properties, through to organised groups who lease areas and are responsible for managing
these areas as, for example, bowling greens or tennis courts.
With the development of the 1995 Management Plan and increased interest in the Town Belt, the
Friends of the Town Belt group was established to promote and protect the Town Belt and assist
Wellington City Council in its management.
More recently there has been increased interest in the environmental enhancement of the Town
Belt, as pine trees have been removed and areas restored to native forest. This interest has been
seen in the development of smaller neighbourhood-based groups who have an interest in parts of
the Town Belt and work with the Council to restore them subject to an agreed restoration or
development plan. There are 13 groups working on the Town Belt who have Memoranda of
Understanding (MOUs) with the Council. These include Friends of Central Park, Coolidge Street
Group, and Bell Street Reserve Restoration Group.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 23

Many individuals who live in houses that back
onto the Town Belt have over time managed the
Town Belt in some way be it for private or public
benefit. These activities have ranged from
effectively privatising parts of the Town Belt by
adding structures, fences and so on through to
planting trees and maintaining the area to
improve its appearance. Privatising parts of the
Town Belt are effectively encroachments and
require removal within an agreed timeframe.
Beautification by planting, provided it does not
exclude other members of the public can often
improve the appearance and maintenance of the
Town Belt.
There are 39 community leases on Town Belt
covering 5.9 ha. The lessees of these areas
manage the Town Belt on behalf of the Council
subject to terms and conditions in the lease. In
most cases, such as the Renouf Tennis Centre,
the organisation owns, manages and maintains
the facility.
24
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Arbor Day planting at the
former-Chest Hospital in Newtown
The future of the Town Belt depends on the active involvement of the community as it did during
the early period of development. Council resources are limited and the future work on the Town
Belt depends heavily on the involvement of the public to ensure its success. Council officers and
community groups need to work closely in organising projects that align with the objectives of this
management plan.
3.2.1 Objective
To manage the Town Belt on behalf of, and in partnership with the wider Wellington
community.
3.2.2 Policies
3.2.2.1 The active participation by the community and the Friends of the Town Belt in the
ongoing management, maintenance, development and monitoring of the Town Belt
shall be encouraged.
3.2.2.2 To provide opportunities for individuals, groups and businesses to be involved in
activities on the Town Belt, such as habitat restoration; and recreation development,
such as tracks; and events.
3.2.2.3 To establish, as appropriate, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with groups that
contribute to activities on the Town Belt, such as habitat restoration, recreation
development, and events.
3.2.2.4 To support the beautification of the Town Belt by adjacent property owners provided
the work is consistent with the objectives and policies of this plan.

4 Landscape
Gaps in the Town Belt between Brooklyn Hills on the left and
Te Ahumairangi Hill on the right
Guiding principles
The Wellington Town Belt will be protected and enhanced by the Council
for future generations.
This reflects the Council’s commitment to ensuring that the Town Belt will be protected for
Wellingtonians to enjoy.
The physical size and continuity of the Town Belt will be retained and enhanced.
The Town Belt’s landscape character will be protected and enhanced.
The landscape character of the Town Belt has changed and been modified since humans first
interacted with it. The Council will protect and enhance the key features of this landscape
character, (acknowledging that vegetation change will occur over time). which are:
• the continuous ‘horseshoe’ shape of natural landscape (hills and open space)
between the central business district and surrounding suburbs
• the vegetated slopes interspersed with areas of open ground
• the changing patchwork of exotic and native vegetation
• undeveloped skylines (ie Te Ahumairangi and Mt Victoria/Te Ranga a Hiwi etc.)
• the contrast between the patchwork of native and exotic vegetation and
the densely developed central business district.
4.1 The Town Belt landscape
4.1.1 Wellington’s landscape character
Wellington owes much of its natural character to the expanse and visual dominance of open space
within and surrounding urban areas. The most visible open space occupies the tops and steep
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 25

flanks of the ridges. The Town Belt comprises a significant portion of this. The character is
enhanced by pockets of green ‘unmanaged’ land too steep for development. The landform and
vegetation cover of the Town Belt and its relationship to the city and suburbs is a significant and
unique feature of Wellington.
4.1.2 Town Belt landscape change
The complex story of interaction between people and the Town Belt and the resulting landscape
change began long before the Town Belt was planned in 1839.
Māori settlement: During the long period of Māori settlement, parts of the land now known as
Town Belt were occupied by pā and buildings and spaces ancillary to the functioning of the pā. But
most of the land was heavily wooded with trees, including pukatea, rata, totara, and rewarewa.
These woodlands were rich with birds and berries, which were a cultivated food source for Māori.
The streams of the Town Belt were home to tuna/eels, kokopu, koaro, and other freshwater fish
species. Landscape features, such as the ridgelines, were valued for lookouts, garden sites and other
activities.
The land was also used for recreation activities, which were often related to learning skills for later
in life. Then, as now, the landscape was modified in response to a range of values specific to that
time and social context.
19 th century developments: The process of European settlement saw rapid change in the
landscape that is now the Town Belt. These changes were closely tied to the changing needs and
values of the people of the city.
Soon after European settlement in 1840, trees were cleared from the Town Belt for firewood and
house building. In the 1870s large areas of the Town Belt were converted to pasture and leased to
local farmers to provide milk for the developing city.
This wholesale clearance and occupation had a huge visual impact on the city. By the turn of the
19 th century the only native forest remaining on Original Town Belt was in the Botanic Garden.
Development of facilities and utilities: From this early exploitative-type activity (firewood,
building materials, grazing and quarrying) there was a shift to proactive park development,
including a number of sports fields and Central Park. The development of city roads also had a
significant impact on the Town Belt landscape. Much of this work occurred in the 1920s and ’30s
using relief workers hired on Council and central government unemployment schemes.
Since the 1950s development in the Town Belt has been predominantly associated with buildings
and structures (including large water reservoirs) rather than landform change or resource use. The
recreation section of this plan (section 6) details how the buildings and formal sports provision
became established in the Town Belt.
The alteration of the landform has been less widespread than vegetation change, but each incident
has arguably had a more permanent and sometimes detrimental effect on the values of the Town
Belt. For example, the cutting of the road to Mt Victoria has left a prominent and irreparable mark
in the natural landform, as has the development of sport and recreation parks, such as Hataitai
Park, formed using fill from the Mt Victoria Tunnel.
Several facilities have been removed during the tenure of the previous plan, including custodial
houses on Berhampore Golf Course, Macalister Park and Goldies Brae, the dog pound at the golf
course, Telecom houses on Te Ahumairangi Hill and the scout hall on Grant Road.
Amenity plantings: The denuded nature of the Town Belt prompted city councillors and citizens
of Wellington to plant areas to improve its visual appearance.
26
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Planting of exotic
conifers and eucalypts
started in 1880 with
most planting
occurring between 1920
and 1940, and much of
this using depression
labour. The tree stands
were rarely managed or
thinned. Over time, as
the planting has
naturally thinned out,
native understory has
appeared in places. In
addition, other exotic
plants and weeds have
moved in.
A significant factor for
landscape change in the
Town Belt today is that
many of these early
amenity plantings are
now at an age where
they are prone to storm
damage and have the
potential to cause harm
to people and property.
Pine planting on Mt Victoria in 1884
(Alexandra Turnbull Library GB2237 1/1 detail)
A storm in 2004 resulted in a large area of Te Ahumairangi Hill being cleared of pines (both
naturally by the storm and by removal to prevent more trees falling). A long-term restoration
programme was established to return the hill to native forest. The initial storm and clearance of the
pines has had a huge impact on the character of that part of the Town Belt and the developing
native forest continues to alter the way the landscape looks and functions today.
Supporting biodiversity: Over the past 20 years the value of biodiversity and urban biodiversity
in particular has become better understood. Just as there has been a shift from valuing open space
as pasture for food production to valuing open space for aesthetic reasons as the city grew, there is
now a shift in valuing a certain type of vegetation cover. This is not to say that there is no value in
the earlier layers of landscape character; these layers are the very attribute that gives landscape so
much meaning and makes it so important to people. However any change needs to be very
carefully considered.
Growing recreation demands: Built development in the Town Belt, alongside alienation of
land, vegetation changes and landform changes, has altered the character of the landscape. The
balance of built development and natural landscape is a significant issue in preserving the open
space values of the Town Belt.
Since the last Town Belt Management Plan there has been further change associated with
intensification of use, in particular for formal sports activity. Examples of development since 1995
include: development of function rooms at Newtown Park, an extension to the Rugby League Park
grandstand and artificial turfs at Te Whaea and Wakefield Park. Alongside development of this
kind there is often earthworks, vegetation clearance, lighting, fencing, roads, parking and other
hard surfaces, which can all result in significant landscape change in their own right and
incrementally change the character of the Town Belt.
Almost 90 percent of residents surveyed in 2009 said they used the Town Belt for informal
recreation at least once every six months. This includes walking, running and mountain biking;
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 27

picnicking and family outings or casual sport. Over two-thirds said they used formal recreation
facilities in the Town Belt at least once every six months. These included playgrounds, sporting
facilities, the Berhampore Golf Course, Renouf Tennis Centre and the National Hockey Stadium.
Some areas of the Town Belt are more popular. The Mt Victoria sector was the most regularly used
by residents with 68 percent having used it at least every six months. Te Ahumairangi was the least
visited (32 percent).
Use of the Town Belt by inner city residents has increased, putting pressure on existing facilities,
such as tracks, and increasing the chance for conflict between users.
The population of the Wellington central business district 7 has increased substantially over the past
20 years in part due to high density apartment developments. In 1996 there were 4455 people
living in the central city (CBD). In 2006 there were 11,526. The next Census, in 2013, is likely to
show a further increase.
The Town Belt plays a vital role in the quality of life of inner city residents who may otherwise have
limited access to open space and the natural environment.
In 2008, central city apartment dwellers were surveyed to obtain a greater understanding of this
population. It found:
• The second most disliked aspect of living in the central city was the lack of outdoor space
(two-thirds of those surveyed did not have communal open space in their apartment
complex).
• Almost half visited a park at least once a week.
• For most, their nearest public park was less than 5 minutes away.
The landscape of the Town Belt has been most affected by changing management approaches in
response to need for open space and recreation land in Wellington. Changes in land area (the loss
of land), changes in land use and changes in vegetation cover (generally linked to land use) have
altered the Town Belt landscape over time.
The history of landscape management and vegetation cover on the Town Belt also illustrates how
values associated with parks and open space in general, continuously evolve and change. Today the
Town Belt contains a rich mix of land and vegetation unique to Wellington. The landscape of the
Town Belt is an essential part of Wellington’s urban character.
No landscape is ever static, being the result of the relationship between people and place. However
the notion of green open space – or a natural environment in the context of an urban environment
– has been protected over time through the concept of a Town Belt. The protection and
management of the land becomes increasingly complex as the city grows and the pressure on open
space to meet the needs of the people increases.
4.1.3 The Town Belt Landscape today
The landscape values of the Town Belt contribute to making it an iconic and distinct city resource.
While the Town Belt as a whole and its relationship to the city has obvious value, there is also value
in the various parts of the Town Belt and in the elements within these parts.
The patchwork of vegetation and the prominent natural features of the ridgelines, hilltops and
slopes have citywide significance. They provide a natural green backdrop to the central city and
contribute to the city’s identity and sense of place.
The Town Belt is appreciated both as a part of the wider city landscape and as an open space
network in its own right. Views from the Town Belt demonstrate its importance on this citywide
7 The Central Area as defined in the Wellington City Council District Plan.
28
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

scale just as much as views of the Town Belt from other parts of the city and harbour.
Looking south from
Mt Victoria to Mt
Albert
Left:
open grazed land
and early pine plantings
in 1931
(Evening Post Collection,
Alexandra Turnbull Library
G90002 1 /2)
Bottom:
Mosaic of exotic forest
and native vegetation in
2012
While it is essential to consider the Town Belt as a whole, its size and geographic spread means its
different parts will have specific values associated with them. When change occurs in a particular
area it is necessary to consider the potential effects locally as well as citywide.
The Town Belt provides continuous open space through the city, clearly separating and defining
urban localities and providing a natural backdrop to the developed land on each side. Its distinctive
pattern can be broken into three main areas:
1. The inner curve of its horseshoe configuration around the Kelburn and Brooklyn Hills, across
the low saddle between Berhampore and Island Bay and along the Mt Albert Ridge.
The topography is flatter and more undulating than other parts of the Town Belt. Land use is
mixed with pockets of vegetation and extensive areas of open space maintained for formal sport
and recreation use. This area appears more fragmented than other parts, largely due to the lowlying
and less uniform topography and the historic loss of land for Victoria University.
2. The north-western end of the horseshoe is formed by Te Ahumairangi Hill.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 29

30
Te Ahumairangi Hill is the highest part of the Town Belt comprising steep vegetated slopes with
an open ridgeline. The tree cover, which predominates, gives the area a distinctive character
when seen from a distance.
This area is comparatively less developed, more informal and more natural or ‘wild’ with very
few buildings and little formal sport development.
The hill is relatively close to the sea with only a narrow strip of urban landscape between,
contributing to the dominance of the landform over the urban landscape. There are no houses
on the lower slopes and the hill is seen from the city as a steep mass rising from the flats. The
hill is a highly visible and recognisable feature of the Wellington city landscape particularly from
the harbour and other vantage points.
3. The eastern side of the horseshoe is formed by Mt Victoria/Matairangi.
This prominent high point comprises an open ridgeline with areas of steep vegetated slope. The
ridgeline character is less uniform in shape with mixed vegetation cover and a greater variety of
use and activity, creating a more complex landscape pattern than Te Ahumairangi Hill.
This area also has a different character to the western end due to urban development extending
part way up the slopes and the edges of the open space not being as clearly defined. The area is
visibly prominent from more places around the city and appears to have a more direct
relationship or connection to the sea.
At the local scale the landscape confers identity and provides coherence, contributing to the
amenities of individual communities and providing the setting for day-to-day experiences. Parts of
the Town Belt can provide space for a playground, a kick-about space, a picnic spot, a shortcut
route to work, a backdrop to a suburb or view from someone’s window.
At the finest scale the Town Belt provides individual elements or spaces that are important to a
variety of different people. For example, a particular tree may have heritage value due to its age or
location, cultural value associated with use, ecological value as habitat, aesthetic value, practical
value as shade, or even value associated with a memory of an event in someone’s life.
The Town Belt provides a significant open space framework for the city and the differences in its
three broad areas – the inner curve, the north-western end and the eastern side – are a large part
of its overall value. The visual diversity and diversity of open space values and experience (across
all scales of space from Te Ahumairangi Hill down to an individual tree) is important in its
protection.
4.2 Landscape objectives
4.2.1 To protect the Town Belt as a predominantly natural 8 environment in contrast
to the built environment of the city.
4.2.2 To recognise and protect the unique landscape character of the Town Belt and,
in particular, the:
• ridgeline and hilltop landscapes
• diversity of landscape aesthetic and experience
• patchwork of native and exotic vegetation
8 ‘Natural’ is not intended to mean ‘pristine’ or a landscape unmodified by humans, as the Town Belt landscape has a long
history of human modification. While there are obviously degrees of naturalness, here the term is used to describe the
difference between the Town Belt being ‘natural’ and the built environment of the city being not ‘natural’.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• maintenance of a mature/large tree framework.4.2.3 To manage longterm
vegetation change to enhance its ecological function while protecting the
variety of functions, activities and experiences the vegetation provides.
4.2.4 To recognise and protect the role of the Town Belt landscape in terms of:
• the contribution the reserves (together and as individual parts) make to
the character and identity of Wellington City
• the value of the reserves as a natural setting for a variety of recreation and
leisure activities
• providing an unbuilt visual backdrop and skyline to Wellington
• the significant area of land that provides environmental services such as
urban biodiversity, stormwater management and as a carbon sink.
4.3 Landscape policies
The balance of built development and open space in the Town Belt requires careful management.
Incremental increases in built development (including for example buildings, hard surfaces and
lighting) detracts from the open space value of the Town Belt. It is the natural landscape
environment of the Town Belt that provides the context for recreation activity and enjoyment of
open space in the urban environment. It is the open space of the Town Belt that is an essential part
of the unique and valued character of Wellington City.
4.3.1 Development will only be sited on the Town Belt if it is necessary for public recreation
purposes and subject to assessment as outlined in the administration section 9 covering
rules for use. Development is defined in its broadest sense including, but not limited to,
earthworks, new buildings and structures, additions and alterations to existing buildings,
car parks and lighting.
Note: Refer to section 9 for specific policy relating to utilities.
4.3.2 Development for public recreation purposes will be sensitively designed and implemented
to protect the landscape and open space values of the Town Belt.
4.3.3 No new building or structures of any kind will be permitted on the skylines and ridgelines
as viewed from the central city or suburban centres or the harbour. In exceptional
circumstances, this policy shall not apply where buildings or structures are for essential
utilities and cannot practicably be located elsewhere and their public benefits outweigh
their adverse visual impacts.
4.3.4 Development in prominent locations or development that detracts from landscape values
will be avoided. Care shall be taken to minimise visual distraction from the natural
environment.
4.3.5 All development will be located and designed to protect existing landscape features and
established vegetation with appropriate form, scale, materials and colour scheme used to
integrate development into the landscape context.
4.3.6 Colour schemes, planting and site design associated with existing buildings and structures
shall be revised as each comes up for attention (either by Council or a lessee) to ensure the
visual impact is minimised and they are well integrated into their surroundings.
4.3.7 Earthworks and landscape modification will be limited in scale and effect to protect the
natural landform.
4.3.8 Soft engineering approaches will be used as a preference, for example swales and planted
berms are preferred to piped stormwater and retaining walls.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 31

4.3.9 Sector plans will identify specific landscape characteristics and values associated with each
area to be enhanced, maintained and/or protected.
4.3.10 Areas of exotic forest will be removed over time as trees fall or become hazardous.
Hazardous trees will be removed based on risk assessments.
4.3.11 Areas to be replanted in indigenous vegetation are identified in sector plans.
4.3.12 The values of existing trees and vegetation (including heritage trees and large trees
generally) will be identified and managed to retain the mature-tree framework within parts
of the Town Belt.
4.3.13 Planting new and replacement large tree species (both native and exotic) will be supported
where appropriate 9 in the Town Belt. A response to unplanned change will also be required
as a result of storms that will occur from time to time.
4.3.14 The speed of vegetation change, the size of the area undergoing change and the location of
the change will be managed to protect Town Belt landscape values as much as possible
during times of planned change such as major tree removal (as outlined in the sector plans).
4.3.15 The effects of vegetation removal, maintenance and new planting on the following values
will be considered on a project-by-project basis to guide management decisions:
32
a. enjoyment and interaction with nature and the outdoors
b. views of the Town Belt
c. views from the Town Belt
d. diversity of landscape aesthetic and pattern
e. the patchwork of native and exotic vegetation
f. retention of a mature-tree (and large-tree) framework
g. protecting heritage tree groupings as identified in sector plans
h. ecology at a site scale, Town Belt scale and citywide scale
i. land and soil health, and stability
j. supporting outdoor recreation opportunities
k. provision of shade and shelter
l. mitigation of effects of buildings on and around the Town Belt (eg screen them,
integrate them into landscape or reduce bulk and scale)
m. natural environment education.
Specific vegetation management issues will be identified in sector plans. Refer also to
section 5 dealing with ecology and biodiversity.
4.3.16 Structures, buildings and furniture no longer required shall be removed as soon as
practicable, and those that are unsafe or irreparable shall be removed also and replaced
only if consistent with the policies in this plan and the Leases Policy for Community and
Recreation Groups.
9 This assessment is at the discretion of the Council in its management of Town Belt reserves and reflects the need for the
Town Belt to provide for a large-tree framework in the city landscape.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

5 Ecology
Community revegetation project at Te Ahumairangi Hill
Guiding principle
The Town Belt will support healthy populations of indigenous biodiversity.
The Town Belt already has an important role in bringing nature to the city and has the
potential to expand that role by acting as a hub for indigenous biodiversity
and improving the city’s ecological resilience.
Key factors for supporting healthy populations of indigenous biodiversity include:
the connectivity of the indigenous vegetation to facilitate movement
both within and through the Town Belt
sufficient natural habitat (including streams and bush) to maintain
native animal populations
ensuring pest species do not threaten indigenous biodiversity.
5.1 Historic ecosystems
Podocarp and broadleaf forest containing rimu, rata and totara originally covered most of the
Wellington Peninsula including the Town Belt.
The impact of Māori on the vegetation of the Wellington Town Belt before European settlement is
not known in detail. A Brees print of Mt Victoria (1843) shows low vegetation with flax growing on
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 33

the summit ridge. This suggests the original podocarp and broadleaf forest was cleared before
European settlement as no stumps of recently cleared trees are depicted.
By contrast, most of the western edge of the present-day city was covered by forest at the time of
settlement. Heaphy (1879) records that in 1839 high trees grew on the flat towards Te Ahumairangi
Hill (Tinakori Hill) and the sides and summit of Te Ahumairangi Hill “were densely timbered …
the rata being conspicuous” 19 . There were native cultivations along the base of Te Ahumairangi
Hill. Around upper Willis Street and Polhill Gully were high pine trees (native conifers) and some
of the forest was partly cleared for native gardens.
At the time of European settlement the forest on the eastern edge of the Town Belt, from Mt
Victoria to Newtown, had largely disappeared through the fires used by Māori for land clearance.
Probably 99.5 percent 20 of the original forest cover has now been lost. The plant associations on the
Town Belt are young (less than 150 years old) and simple in structure with a limited diversity of
native species. However, there are many naturalised plants and heavy infestations of weeds.
Despite the lack of native species there are, in fact, around 600 plant species on the Town Belt.
Only in the Botanic Garden are there remnants of the podocarp and broadleaf rainforests, which
included kohekohe, hinau and titoki.
From as early as the 1880s, but mostly between 1920 and 1940, a considerable area of the Town
Belt was planted with exotic conifer species and eucalypts. The paramount motive for this work was
the desire to cover the denuded slopes that formed the backdrop to the new city. The councillors
and citizens saw the Town Belt as something to embellish with trees for the purposes of recreation
and the ornamentation of the city.
These tree stands were very rarely thinned or managed and today they have a considerable
understory of native shrub species in some areas.
Areas not in native or exotic tree stands are either managed as grassed playing fields and passive
recreation areas or they are scrub-covered. These areas of scrub, often gorse and broom, have the
potential to regenerate into native bush if left undisturbed and kept weed-free and safe from fires.
In 1998, following the adoption of the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan, a proactive tree-removal
programme started with the removal of trees on Town Belt land adjacent to Norway Street in Te
Aro. Nearly 30 hectares of trees have been removed and the area either revegetated with native
plants or restored since then.
The lack of native species complexity in the vegetation, and its physical discontinuity, follows
through to a lack of native fauna. Only common bird species are present (the only numerous
natives are fantail, grey warbler and silvereye), as well as eight species of introduced mammal, five
species of lizard and only common insect species.
The planting of exotic trees may have reminded early settlers of home. Now residents support
native vegetation being established on Town Belt (91 percent of residents surveyed, 2009). They
valued the protection of native habitat for birds and other animals (93 percent).
5.2 Current ecological values
The Town Belt is an easily accessible place where people can experience and view nature. It is also
a corridor bringing nature into the City. The view of the Town Belt, the experience in it, and the
habitat it provides, makes it an important part of the ecology of the City. There are over 180
hectares of native-dominated vegetation on the Town Belt, most of it in an early stage of
regeneration (see map on page 34). It is made up of native forest (106.6 ha), native
19 “Charles Heaphy, “Notes on Port Nicholson and the Natives in 1839,” Transactions and Proceedings of the New
Zealand Institute, 1879, Vol 12. 32-39
20 Natural Wellington. A Plan to Preserve and Enhance the Natural Treasures of Wellington City, Wellington Branch,
Royal Forest and Bird protection Society of NZ Inc, 1990
34
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

scrub/shrubland (24.9 ha), mixed shrubland (exotic-native) and areas recently revegetated with
natives (26.9 ha). (Section 8 has maps of vegetation cover for each geographic sector.)
The native vegetation generally has the following characteristics:
• Plant communities are young and simple in structure and composition
• Broadleaf and podocarp species and associated seed sources are absent from the Town Belt
• There is a well-developed naturalised flora with some major weed infestations.
Ecological connectivity: For the health and resilience of forest areas, size, shape and
connectivity are important. In general, an optimal forest patch will have a low edge-to-area ratio
(eg circular or square, rather than linear or convoluted). It will also be large enough to ensure an
intact ‘core’ (where the core is an inner area not influenced by edge effects such as increased light,
wind and weeds). These elements can be addressed through restoration and revegetation priorities.
An optimal forest patch will also be close enough to other forests to sustain seed dispersal and
seedling recruitment. Research and modelling in New Zealand indicates that if optimal forest
patches (‘sources’) are interspersed by habitats receptive to seed germination (‘sinks’) then
ecological functions such as podocarp recruitment can be sustained 21 . The Town Belt, because of its
size and location, can provide ecological connectivity between sectors of the Town Belt as well as
between the Outer Green Belt to the west and south and Miramar Peninsula and the east harbour
reserves to the east.
5.3 Issues and opportunities
5.3.1 Restoration
Restoration is an important tool to ensure ecological health and resilience. Restoration may
enhance an area (eg restoring podocarp species to a forest remnant), it may buffer an area (eg
improving the shape or size of a forest remnant), or create ecological connectivity (eg revegetation
of a riparian area).
Priorities for restoration activities are developed at a city-scale in accordance with the Biodiversity
Action Plan (2007), but should also recognise specific opportunities for the Town Belt.
Opportunities for ecological enhancement planting will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis
and should be informed by ecological research. In the case of the Town Belt it will also be dictated
by the speed and location of pine-tree removal.
Restoration work to fill gaps in the connectivity of forest reserves is important.
5.3.2 Pest management
Effectively managing pest plants and animals is also fundamental to the ecological health of the
Town Belt. Pest plants, or weeds, are an issue throughout the Town Belt and are a particular
concern for small, isolated reserves. Common weeds in the Town Belt are tradescantia, blackberry,
Japanese honeysuckle, climbing asparagus, eleagnus, sycamore, and karo. Gorse and broom are
also common, but these species can act as a nursery for the regeneration of native plants.
Pest-plant control is particularly important in areas where large trees have been removed and
during the early stages of regeneration. A good example can be seen on Te Ahumairangi where
10ha of pines were removed in 2005. The majority of the area was not replanted but natural
regeneration was encouraged through intensive weed control. The results of the programme
21 Meurk, C. and Hall, G. 2000. Biogeography and ecology of urban landscapes. In: Urban biodiversity and ecology as a
basis for holistic planning and design: proceedings of a workshop held at Lincoln University 28-29 October 2000. eds
G.H.Steward & M.E. Ignatieva. Christchurch: Wickliffe Press.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 35

36
Karo ri
Ow hiro Bay
Highb ury
Wilton
Broo klyn
Northland
Kin gston
Kelburn
Aro Va lley
Morningto n
Native vegetation on Town Belt
Vo geltow n
Islan d Bay
Te Aro
Mt C ook
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Berh amp ore
Tho rn don
Wellingt on C entral
Wadesto wn
New tow n
Pip ite a
Mt Victoria
Melro se
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Orienta l B ay
Lya ll Ba y
Hata it ai
Kilbirnie
Rosen eath
Ron gotai
0 250 500 1,000
metres
scale 1:29,000
¯
Miram ar
Native Vegetation
Suburbs

Regeneration of native vegetation after pine removal
and ongoing weed control, Te Ahumairangi Hill.
Top: In 2005 Bottom: In 2011
can be seen in the
photographs on the left that
show a part of the hill
following tree removal and
then six years later.
Pest animals are also a
problem, particularly
possums, rats and
mustelids (stoats, ferrets
and weasels). Possums are
controlled in the Town Belt
as part of Wellington City
Council and Greater
Wellington Regional
Council’s shared possumcontrol
programme. This
programme is thought to be
contributing to increased
numbers of native birds and
improved forest
regeneration and health.
Mustelids are a particular
threat to native birds
(including eating eggs),
lizards and insects (eg
weta). Mustelid control
requires intensive trap
checking and is most
successful where
community groups are able
to help. Feral and domestic
cats are also a significant
threat to native wildlife,
particularly lizards and
birds.
Wellington City Council’s
Pest Management Plan
(2004) identifies three
kinds of pest control:
species-led, site-led and
amenity.
Species-led programmes are particularly relevant in managing weeds and pest animals in the early
stages of establishment when numbers are low and distribution is limited.
Site-led programmes focus on areas of high biodiversity value and prioritise the control and
management of pests that pose the greatest threats to these values. The Pest Management
Implementation Plan prioritises sites for weed control and pest animal control on a citywide basis.
Priorities for pest control should also recognise specific opportunities for the Town Belt as
resources allow. Key opportunities are to manage pests in parts of the Town Belt that are
representative examples of the biodiversity of the central city area, to prioritise areas important for
ecological connectivity, and to carry out amenity weed control where weeds are impacting on the
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 37

public use of the area. This is also important to help reduce the Town Belt as a potential reservoir
of weed infestation for other areas.
One of the key contributors to weed establishment and spread in the Town Belt is the ongoing
dumping of garden waste and movement of weed seeds from residential properties that back onto
Town Belt.
Due to the large number of pests, the greatest challenge for the Town Belt and citywide is to
correctly prioritise control and use resources effectively.
5.3.3 Carbon management
As part of the Council's climate change work programme the Council:
• is placing eligible land into the Government's forest sink programmes so that it can
generate emission unit returns on an annual basis
• has requested an allocation of emission units for the Council's older pine forest land (ie
forest established before 1 Jan 1990).
Some Town Belt areas have been included in the Council's forest sink work programme. This
includes:
1. 1.2ha of post-1989 pine forest located on Berhampore Golf Course entered by the
Council into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Owners of post-1989 forest land (as well
as those with rights to post-1989 forests), who voluntarily enter the ETS, earn carbon
credits called New Zealand Units (NZUs) as their forests grow. If and when the forest owner
harvests their ETS forests, the owner must pay back the Government the NZUs that are
equivalent to the amount of carbon lost through harvesting.
2. 103.45 hectares of pre-1990 pine forests for which Council requested an allocation
under the ETS. Pre-1990 forest landowners were eligible for a one-off allocation of NZUs
from the Government.
3 16ha of indigenous forest near Mt Albert that the Council is seeking to register in the
Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI). The PFSI scheme promotes the establishment of
permanent indigenous or exotic forests on previously unforested land with the aim of
reducing climate-change effects.
5.4 Objectives
5.4.1 Ensure the protection of indigenous habitats on the Town Belt so that:
• the biodiversity of the Town Belt is protected, enhanced and functions as a
well-connected system
• pest plants and animals are controlled efficiently and effectively.
5.4.2 Restore and enhance streams and indigenous ecosystems on the Town Belt so
that:
• stormwater is managed and sedimentation minimised
• communities are motivated, inspired and educated to get involved in
restoration projects on the Town Belt.
5.4.3 Gradually increase the indigenous vegetation cover on the Town Belt so that:
• citywide ecological connectivity is improved and existing ecosystems
enhanced
• the ecological resilience of the city is improved.
38
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

5.5 Policies
Protecting the biodiversity of the Town Belt
5.5.1 The Council will identify and restore all ecologically important areas on the Town Belt.
5.5.2 The Council will protect all streams and natural water courses on the Town Belt.
5.5.3 The Council will protect the natural structure and flow of streams on the Town Belt from
modification, and restore them where possible.
5.5.4 Where there is existing infrastructure, including stormwater management devices, within
the Town Belt these will be managed and if necessary redesigned to minimise impacts on
the natural environment.
5.5.5 The Council will continue to recognise and manage Town Belt forest (exotic and
indigenous) for its carbon absorption through programmes such as the Emissions Trading
Scheme.
Restoration
5.5.6 Indigenous habitat restoration work carried out by the Council will be prioritised around:
a. ensuring the ecological connectivity of the Town Belt and adjacent reserve land
b. enhancing the species diversity of the Town Belt
c. replacing exotic trees removed as part of a hazardous tree removal programme.
5.5.7 Where there is a significant barrier to fish passage in a section of stream flowing through
the Town Belt, the fish passage shall be restored as resources allow.
5.5.8 The Council will encourage and support local communities and interested groups to develop
and implement restoration plans for the Town Belt consistent with these policies.
5.5.9 All restoration work to native forest shall be carried out with eco-sourced plants.
5.5.10 The Council will support community revegetation, restoration and education programmes
in accordance with the Biodiversity Action Plan (2007).
Increasing indigenous vegetation cover
5.5.11 Continue with the vegetation priority and removal plan based on stand stability and risk
assessment of exotic vegetation.
5.5.12 Identify areas, as part of this removal plan, suitable for restoring indigenous vegetation
cover in each sector.
5.5.13 Revegetation priorities will be based on:
• representativeness – an assessment of the characteristic (natural) vegetation and
habitats of an area
• rarity – an ecosystem type in a locality that does or could support a rare or threatened
species
• connectivity and buffering – area provides connectivity between fragmented indigenous
habitats, buffers or enhances ecological values of a specific site of value, or provides
seasonal or core habitat for specific indigenous species
• diversity/special features – diversity of ecological units, ecosystems and physical
features within a natural area.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 39

5.5.14 Restore and manage these areas consistent with the restoration policies (see above).
Pest management
5.5.15 Plant and animal pest management will be carried out in accordance with the relevant
policies and priorities set out in the Council’s Pest Management Plan (2004).
5.5.16 In addition to the priorities stated in the Pest Management Plan, plant and animal pest
management will be prioritised as resources allow to:
a. areas representative of the biodiversity of the central city
b. areas important for ecological connectivity
c. areas of hazardous tree removal
d. areas of high amenity and recreation value.
Carbon management
5.5.17 Manage forest areas eligible for carbon credits to maximise carbon sequestration for the
city, prioritising areas of both carbon growth and biodiversity protection.
Monitoring
5.5.18 The Council shall ensure that the ecology of the Town Belt is represented in citywide
monitoring programmes, and that monitoring is carried out in accordance with the
Biodiversity Action Plan (2007).
40
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

6 Recreation
The play area at Central Park, Brooklyn.
A flying fox and bike skills area are also provided.
Guiding principles
The Town Belt is for all to enjoy.
This concerns equity of access and use of the Town Belt. The Council believes that the
Town Belt should be available for all Wellingtonians to enjoy.
The Town Belt will be used for a wide range of recreation activities.
The Town Belt should cater for a wide range of sporting and recreation activities managed in a way
to minimise conflict between different users. Co-location and intensification of sports facilities
within existing hubs and buildings is supported where appropriate.
6.1 Recreation role of the Town Belt
The Town Belt as we know it today was set aside in trust for the people of Wellington through the
1873 Town Belt Deed (Appendix 1). This deed identified that the Town Belt was to be:
“ever hereafter used and appropriated as a public recreation ground for the
inhabitants of the city of Wellington …”
Interpretation of ‘public recreation ground’ has been the cause of disagreement and subject to
changing perceptions over the years.
Recreational activity on the Town Belt was restricted in the latter part of the 19 th century as much
of the land was undeveloped and leased for grazing. In 1881 Newtown Park was officially opened as
the first sports ground on the Town Belt and as sporting activities increased by 1910, Nairn Street
Park, Kelburn Park and Wakefield Park were established. As part of this development private
sports clubs developed and leased land for buildings. There was concern this exclusive use of Town
Belt land was contrary to the principle of free public access. In 1908 legislation was passed through
Parliament allowing the Council to lease up to a maximum of 100 acres (40.47ha) to sports clubs.
This was followed by land being leased for a range of sport and recreation activities including
bowls, dog obedience and croquet. In 2012 there are 39 leases for recreation sports and community
groups on the Town Belt occupying 5.9ha (14.6 acres).
Walking for pleasure, running, and mountain biking has continued to increased in popularity as
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 41

the benefits of regular exercise on general health and wellbeing have been recognised. A 2009
survey of 1000 Wellingtonians found that nearly half use the Town Belt monthly for this type of
informal recreation activity; 28 percent use it at least monthly for organised sport. Other research
has identified the benefits to mental health of interaction (whether active or passive) with natural
environments. The importance of children being able to play in an unstructured way in natural
environments has also been widely documented in recent times.
When given options, the top
three values of the Town Belt
for Wellington residents
(2009 survey) were:
42
• views from the Town
Belt
• ability to enjoy
nature/the outdoors
• protect native
habitats for birds and
other animals.
These all emphasise the
value placed on the natural
unbuilt environment of the
Town Belt.
6.2 What is recreation?
Mt Victoria lookout
Although the intent of ‘recreational purpose’ is clear in the Town Belt Deed, attempting to decide
what is (and what is not) a ‘recreational activity’ and whether it should be permitted on the Town
Belt is not so straightforward. Definitions of ‘recreation’ change over time and, in 1873, were likely
to have meant something different to present-day interpretations. Many modern recreational
activities (such as skateboarding, mountain biking and others) were not even conceived of at that
time and it is also unclear whether leisure activities such as gardening would be classed as
recreation.
The lack of guidance in the deed on recreational activities means that it is up to the Council to try to
work out what is – and what is not – permissible through rules in the management plan.
The 1995 Town Belt Management Plan defined recreation and put an emphasis on outdoor
informal recreation because of the original instruction from the New Zealand company to set aside
land that “no buildings be ever erected upon it”. It recognises, however, that many clubs carry out
formal (indoor and outdoor) recreational and sporting activities on the land.
The problem of defining what is and isn’t recreation has led to some conflict at times over the type
of recreation activity permitted. It is proposed that rather than set out a specific definition of
recreation the Council uses the broad purpose of recreation reserve as outlined in the Reserves Act
1977:
“… for the purpose of providing areas for the recreation and sporting activities and
the physical welfare and enjoyment of the public, and for the protection of the natural
environment and beauty of the countryside, with emphasis on the retention of open
spaces and on outdoor recreational activities, including recreational tracks in the
countryside”.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

On that basis activities on Town Belt will not include:
• leases for childcare, Plunket and learning institutions such as schools and community
centres 25 .
6.3 Existing recreational activities
The Town Belt provides residents and visitors with a wide range of recreational activities:
• informal activities such as jogging, walking, orienteering, gardening, biking, dog
walking, skateboarding, children’s play, casual sport (eg kicking a ball), sightseeing
picnicking and so on
• organised sports such as football, netball, rugby, hockey, tennis, softball and cricket. This
includes more commercial ‘pay-for-play’ activities such as touch rugby, golf at the
Berhampore Golf Course and squash at Club Kelburn.
See map on next page.
Many of these activities are limited to certain areas. For instance:
• sport and recreation parks (sportsfields) are primarily used for organised sports
• neighbourhood parks are used for informal activities and may contain playgrounds and
sometimes skateboard parks
• the track network is used for walking (sometimes with a dog), running and mountain
biking
• dog-exercise areas are for dogs off leash
• buildings and associated sports surfaces are for club/group activities, including
indoor sports such as squash, badminton and gym sports.
See the current uses map for each sector in section 8 for the distribution of these.
All of these recreation facilities are managed as part of the wider parks network.
6.4 Sporting infrastructure
The 1840 plan of Wellington clearly states that land was to be “reserved for the enjoyment of the
public and not to be built upon”. However, while it was the original intention of the New Zealand
Company Secretary that there should be no building on the Town Belt, this stipulation was not
included in the 1873 Town Belt Deed and the intention was not complied with over subsequent
years. Between 1873 and 1995 a large number of recreational clubs leased land and/or buildings on
Town Belt land.
Since 1881, when Newtown Park was opened, the development of sporting infrastructure has
occurred at a number of sites on the Town Belt.
There are a range of facilities providing for junior sport through to international competition.
Facilities providing for national or international sporting competitions and training, such as the
Renouf Tennis Centre, Newtown Park (athletics) and National Hockey Stadium, have developed to
cater for spectators and the requirements of their particular sport. The specialisation of some
sporting facilities can lead to more exclusive use.
25 Section 61 (2A) (a) of the Reserves Act outlines these activities as suitable for leasing local purpose reserve.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 43

Karo ri
Ow hiro Bay
Highb ury
Wilton
Broo klyn
Northland
Kelburn
Kin gston
Aro Va lley
Morningto n
Town Belt recreation facilities
Vo geltow n
Islan d Bay
Te Aro
Mt C ook
Tho rn don
Wellingt on C entral
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
44
Tanera Park
Renouf Tennis
Centre
Te Whaea
Artificial
Rugby League
Park
Wakefield Park
Martin Luckie
Park
Wadesto wn
Kelburn Park
Mt Albert Park/
National Hockey Stadium
Club Kelburn
Nairn Street
Park
Prince of
Wales Park
New tow n
Macalister Park
Pip ite a
Mt Victoria
Newtown Park
Melro se
Melrose Park
Orienta l B ay
Lya ll Ba y
Hata it ai
Hataitai Park
Kilbirnie
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Rosen eath
Southern Walkway
Northern Walkway
Hataitai to City Walkway
City to Sea Walkway
WCC Leases
Suburbs
Ron gotai
Wellington Zoo
Neighbourhood Park
Dog exercise areas
¯
Miram ar
Sport and Recreation Park
Berhampore Golf Course
0 305 610 1,220
metres
scale 1:29,000

At the other end of the scale some sportsfields cater for junior sport each weekend (eg Nairn Street
Park, Tanera Park). A list of sportsfields is included on the next page.
Regional sport facilities have developed on the Town Belt due to the central location in the city and
large spaces available for supporting infrastructure (eg grandstands). In the past there was a
perception the Town Belt should accommodate sporting infrastructure with little thought to the
loss of the natural environment.
The Town Belt Management Plan 1995 contained policies on ‘Structure and Furniture’ that were
more closely aligned with the original 1840 intention. One policy states that “the necessity for all
buildings and structures will be progressively reassessed” and “structures, buildings and
furniture which are no longer required shall be removed as soon as practicable”. The recreation
objective is “to ensure that there will be no additional land area developed for organised
recreation facilities (formal recreation)…”.
The Town Belt is made up of a series of neighbourhood parks, sportfields and reserve areas. The
emphasis is on maintaining the open space environment and the public recreation and
environmental opportunities and benefits this open space provides. A building for a swimming
pool can in effect go anywhere; a track through a native bush remnant is an experience that only an
open space (most often a park) can provide. Infrastructure for recreation activity must not be
provided to the detriment of open space values.
Athletics at Newtown Park
Junior football game at Wakefield Park
The 2009 research study26 found the public:
• supported the upgrade of existing facilities rather than the development of new ones
• opposed new developments occurring throughout the Town Belt
• supported restricting new developments to existing sports hubs (eg Rugby League Park/Te
Whaea, Wakefield Park, Newtown Park, Mt Albert Hockey Stadium and Hataitai Park)
• opposed active removal of buildings and infrastructure.
In addition, 39 percent of those surveyed saw further development and commercialisation as the
main threats to the Town Belt, and 52 percent opposed commercial recreation activities, such as a
golf driving range, with support for future cafés on the Town Belt being evenly split.
This plan accepts some building and infrastructure is necessary to provide for the wide range of
sporting and recreation activities that occur on the Town Belt and to retain some flexibility for their
future development. However, this needs to be balanced against the incremental increase in
‘developed’ parts of the Town Belt and the resulting perception of a reduction in public access to
areas once there are buildings or when land is leased to community clubs and organisations.
26 Wellington City Resident’s Usage of and Attitudes Towards the Town Belt, 2009
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 45

Table: Sports and recreation parks on the Town Belt
Park Winter sports
codes
Kelburn Park Football
Rugby
Tanera Park
Renouf Tennis
Centre (Central
Park)
Nairn St Park
46
Winter Summer sports codes Summer
grading *
grading *
Medium Cricket
5-a-side football
High
Squash
Croquet
Tennis
Squash
Football Low Cricket Low
Tennis Tennis
Football Low Football Low
Prince of Wales Rugby Medium Cricket Medium
Te Whaea Football
Artificial Touch rugby
Artificial
Rugby
5-a-side football
Rugby League
Park
Rugby (training) High Rugby (training) High
Macalister Park Football Medium Cricket
Medium
(includes
Liardet)
and low Touch rugby
and low
Wakefield Park Football Medium Cricket
Low
Berhampore
Golf Course
Martin Luckie
Park
Mt Albert Park
Mt Albert
Hockey
Stadium
Newtown Park
Melrose Park
Hataitai Park
Alexandra Road
(southern end)
Artificial Touch rugby
5-a-side football
Golf Golf
Rugby
Rugby League
Medium Softball
Ultimate
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Artificial
Medium
Football Low
Tennis
Ultimate Low
Hockey High Hockey High
Football (training) High Athletics
Football (training)
High
Football Medium Cricket Medium
Football
Rugby
Netball
Low
High
Softball
tennis
Croquet
* Sportsfield gradings = High (national or international competition)
Medium (regional or senior competition)
Low (junior or social competition or training)
High and
low

This plan identifies the sports and recreation parks:
• where more intensive development could occur to meet growing demand for residents (eg
Wakefield Park)
• that will be retained at their current status to protect the open space values of the Town
Belt (eg Kelburn Park)
It is essential there is efficient/high use of existing buildings before new developments proceed.
This can be achieved by:
• encouraging the co-location of groups/sharing of buildings and/or resources (ie
‘sportsville’)
• monitoring the use of buildings to ensure that use remains high
• developing strict criteria around development or expansion of existing buildings and
associated infrastructure, (such as lease buildings, Council changing rooms and toilets)
and/or construction of new ones. This includes preventing new development from
impinging on natural areas within the Town Belt.
6.4.1 Sport and recreation parks (“sportsfields”)
The sport and recreation parks are managed as a city wide network. A large portion of these have
been developed on Town Belt and are an integral part of this network.
Council sportsfields are under growing pressure with increasing demand from sports groups –
particularly from football. The pressure point is from April to August with ground closures
occurring regularly during the winter season.
The artificial sportsfields at Nairnville Park, Te Whaea, Wakefield Park and Wellington College
have provided a great deal of extra capacity during the 2012 winter with those fields often used
over 50 hours a week during peak times. To reduce the pressure on grass fields and improve the
quality of sports competition, the Council plans to develop more artificial sportsfields over the next
five years in other parts of the city, including Alex Moore Park in Johnsonville. The Council has
also entered into a partnership with St Patrick's College to develop an artificial sportsfield in
Kilbirnie.
The growth and improvement in facilities, however, brings with it the need to upgrade
infrastructure to cater for increased use, ie car parking, changing facilities, floodlighting, fencing,
toilets and so on. This can be problematical in some areas where parking is already limited, ie
Hataitai Park. New buildings and the infrastructure associated with development of outdoor formal
sportsfields can result in significant impacts on the open space values and natural environment of
the Town Belt. To protect specialist surfaces (and the investment) fencing is often built to limit use
by casual users, for ball control and to protect the turf.
At the other end of the scale there are sports not making full use of existing facilities. Bowls is one
sport with declining numbers and club membership. There are currently two bowling clubs with
leases on Town Belt land – Workingmen’s Club in Newtown and Victoria Bowling Club at Mt
Victoria. Wellington Bowling Club in Brooklyn has been disestablished in the past two years, and
Berhampore Bowling Club has relinquished its lease but will continue to use and manage the
greens in conjunction with the Golf Club.
There has been an increase in demand for indoor facilities from sports such as basketball,
volleyball, netball, martial arts, futsal and badminton. In addition some sports, such as tennis, are
keen to cover playing surfaces to get all-year-round play. The recent opening of the ASB
Community Sports Centre in Kilbirnie has helped to alleviate this pressure but interest in indoor
facilities on the Town Belt is likely to continue. Indoor sports using the Town Belt include:
• squash with a 10-court facility at Kelburn Park
• tennis with six covered courts and 12 uncovered courts in Central Park
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 47

48
• Chinese Cultural and Sports Centre with indoor facilities at Mt Albert (including
basketball)
• Harbour City Gym Sports at Hataitai Park
• badminton with an eight-court facility at Hataitai Park
• table tennis at the south end of Alexandra Road
• martial arts in the Renouf Tennis Centre and Scottish Harriers clubrooms
• fencing at Tanera Park
• darts at Hataitai Park.
Balancing the provision of a diverse range of recreation opportunities with maintaining public
access to open space and the natural environment needs to be carefully managed.
The 18-hole Berhampore Public Golf Course covers 37.2 ha at the southern end of the Town
Belt. The course is managed and maintained by the Council with the assistance of the Mornington
Golf Club, which leases the former Berhampore Bowling clubrooms next to the course. The course
is open to members of the public for casual play.
The 1995 Management Plan proposed a study to “assess the scope, scale, and facilities provided at
the Berhampore Golf Links, and the development and management opportunities available”. This
work identified options to reduce the size of the course to nine holes as well as develop other
activities. One activity proposed was to develop a golf driving range on the eastern side of Adelaide
Road. This proposal did not proceed partly due to public pressure and concerns about a
commercial operation on the Town Belt.
Numbers using the course have continued to drop over the past 10 years and the Council and the
Mornington Golf Club have recently embarked on a three-year programme involving divesting
some management responsibility to the club, including assisting with the collection of green fees,
marketing and promotion of the course and some maintenance activities.
There has been a citywide programme to develop sport and recreation parks into multi-purpose
recreation spaces for both organised sport and informal recreation. Karori Park is a good example
of this with the development of the perimeter walking and cycling track. A similar proposal is
planned for Alex Moore Park in Johnsonville. There is an opportunity to develop similar facilities
on sport and recreation parks on the Town Belt particularly given their proximity to the CBD and
inner city suburbs.
Elite sport: There is increasing use of the sporting infrastructure for elite sport. For instance:
• national and international events at the National Hockey Stadium and Newtown Park
• training facilities for visiting sporting teams, such as during the Rugby World Cup 2011.
There has also been growing demand from visiting Super 15 rugby teams, A-league
football teams and sevens rugby teams as these sports have developed.
• as a base for professional and semi-professional sporting teams. For instance the
Wellington Rugby Football Union lease of Rugby League Park grandstand and the use of
the park as a training facility for the Wellington Lions and Hurricanes. The Wellington
Phoenix uses the changing rooms and Newtown Park number two ground for training.
• coaching and development, for instance at the Renouf Tennis Centre.
The development of elite sport and the associated professional support and administration can put
pressure on existing facilities used for community sport. It’s important community use and access
is not compromised by these changes.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

However, elite sport and associated events are important to Wellington as a destination for major
events, entertainment, and also to provide a pathway for talented young people to develop their
skills and develop a career in elite or professional sport. Such sport can sometimes bring in
external funds to improve facilities that can in turn benefit community sport.
6.4.2 Club facilities
Tennis, bowling and croquet clubs have leased areas for specialised playing surfaces and/or
clubrooms. Other clubs, such as rugby, cricket and athletics, lease land for clubrooms. In addition,
some clubs lease facilities for indoor sport including badminton, squash, darts and more recently
Harbour City Gym Sports at Hataitai Park.
Wellington Scottish Athletic Club,
Prince of Wales Park
There are 39 clubs and community groups
leasing a total of 5.9ha of land on the Town
Belt. Most of these facilities have buildings
that are only available for club members.
Some, such as bowling clubs and tennis, are
available to be used on a pay-for-play
(casual) basis. The location and number of
clubs are shown in the map of recreation
facilities for each sector (section 8). Many
clubs sub lease facilities to other clubs to
make best use of the facilities and share costs
as well as allowing casual play.
Leasing is permitted to enable the public use
of the Town Belt by providing a wider range
of facilities than would otherwise be
available.
Over the past 15 to 20 years, public opinion has shifted in favour of informal recreation and access
to the entire Town Belt. At the same time there has been growth in some structured formal sports,
such as football, which has put more pressure on existing formal facilities. The shift to informal
recreation was reflected in the policies in the 1995 plan, which identified that activities on leased
land should be open to public participation and that leases should not restrict public access across
the land except during times of active use. In practical terms this is very difficult to achieve given
several sports have indoor facilities, including the Renouf Tennis Centre and Badminton Hall; and
specialist surfaces such as bowling and croquet greens should not be accessed except for actual play
because of the possibility of damage.
With the exception of sports such as football, many traditional sports clubs are experiencing
declining membership. This issue has been further complicated by the rising cost of maintenance,
building compliance and insurance. However, another influencing factor is the increase in casual
sport (pay-for-play). Many people are choosing to participate in sport and recreation on a casual
basis rather than committing to membership of a club. There is also more choice, and there have
been a number of emerging sports such as floorball, handball, ultimate frisbee and futsal.
The Council is working with a number of clubs (eg bowls) to address sustainability issues. Many
clubs are being encouraged to amalgamate or to share resources/facilities. This is commonly
referred to as a ‘sportsville’ model. Some clubs are investigating commercial
activities/opportunities to enable them to raise funds. This varies from charging for play, or
sponsorship, through to running commercial facilities such as cafés.
6.4.3 The track network
The notion of public access is integral to the intent of the original Town Belt Deed. The emphasis
has always been on walking access and, since the 1990s, mountain bike access. Other activities
include orienteering, dog walking, school cross-country and harriers.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 49

Vehicle access is acknowledged as necessary for maintenance and service access to buildings. All
other forms of motorised vehicles are excluded from Town Belt land except in designated parking
areas.
50
Moturua Stream walkway at
Central Park
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The Town Belt research (2009)
identified walking as the most popular
regular activity on Town Belt (56
percent), followed by sightseeing (28
percent), commuting (25 percent) and
cycling (7 percent). Cycling may have
increased since then, with the
development of new bike tracks on Mt
Victoria and Polhill Gully and events on
Town Belt land. In addition, the
respondents’ top priority for future
investment was increasing the
maintenance of walking tracks (24
percent).
Only a few tracks are accessible to
wheelchairs and prams, including Te
Ahumairangi lookout, Mt Victoria
lookout, and parts of Central Park.
The Town Belt’s track network serves
several functions:
• primary track networks along
the eastern ridgeline from Mt
Victoria to the south coast
(Southern Walkway/Te Ranga a
Hiwi) and along the western
ridgeline from the Botanic
Garden to the south coast (City
to Sea Walkway) and through Te
Ahumairangi Hill via the
Northern Walkway
• secondary track networks in each sector linking suburbs and often acting as commuting
links for walkers and bikers (Hataitai to city link)
• dual-use tracks for walkers and mountain bikers, except for part of Te Ahumairangi Hill,
the City to Sea Walkway and the northern end of Mt Victoria/Roseneath
• bike skills areas on Mt Victoria at the southern end of Alexandra Road and 4x dual slalom
track at Mt Albert.
The track network is shown in the map of recreation facilities for each sector (section 8).
There is ongoing demand from users for more beginner level/family friendly biking and walking
tracks. More work is needed to identify where these could be situated.
Dog walkers: The track network is widely used by dog walkers with the Town Belt providing the
largest natural area close to the CBD and inner city suburbs. There are 15 dog exercise areas on the
Town Belt ranging from the long ridgeline of Te Ahumairangi Hill to smaller areas, such as the
corner of Liardet and Balfour Street in Berhampore. In a recent survey 19 Te Ahumairangi Hill
ridgeline and Tanera Park were the most frequently visited areas on Town Belt, with the area above
the Terrace Tunnel on NZTA land the least visited. Areas are well distributed over the Town Belt
19 WCC Dog Exercise Area Survey 2008

with a gap between Tanera Park and Macalister Park on the west side. In addition, given the
proximity of Mt Victoria to the city, and being the most visited sector of the Town Belt 20 there is as
case for reviewing the provision of areas here when the Dog Policy is next reviewed.
6.4.4 Community gardens
Community gardens allow residents to share in the creation, maintenance and rewards of
gardening. They provide food, recreation and therapeutic opportunities for a community. They can
also promote environmental awareness and provide community education.
A community garden is defined as:
A small scale low- investment neighbourhood communal gardening venture, where the
primary purpose is growing vegetables or fruit. Community gardens may have an
explicit gardening philosophy, i.e. organic growing, they may be treated as one garden
or they may allow participants with individual plots to manage them as they see fit.
(Wellington City Council Guidelines for Community Gardens, September 2009)
Community Gardens at Tanera Park
In Wellington City there are already a number of different types of community gardens and
orchards, including three on the Town Belt: the Tanera Community Gardens run by Mokai Kainga,
Island Bay & Berhampore Community Orchard Trust, and Innermost Garden in Mt Victoria run by
the Innermost Garden Trust.
The increased interest in community gardens and orchards over the past few years has resulted in
a number of applications to use Town Belt land and other urban parks and reserves. To assess
these applications and ensure a consistent approach the Council has prepared a set of guidelines
(Wellington City Council Guidelines for Community Gardens, September 2009).
Assessment of applications for use of the Town Belt for community gardens and orchards will be
according to the criteria specified in Section 9 (Rules for Use and Development)
6.4.5 Neighbourhood parks and spaces
These are smaller parks/spaces serving the local community. They may contain play equipment
and typically lie on a pedestrian/commuting route. Given the proximity of the Town Belt to inner
20 Wellington City Resident’s Usage of and Attitudes Towards the Town Belt, 2009
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 51

city suburbs, several neighbourhood parks have been developed on the edge of the Town Belt. See
the detailed sector maps for details of their location along with the catchment area they serve.
6.5 Objectives
6.5.1 The Town Belt is accessed and used by the community for a wide range of
sporting and recreational activities.
6.5.2 Recreational and sporting activities are environmentally, financially and
socially sustainable.
6.5.3 Management and development of formal sporting facilities and associated
infrastructure does not compromise the landscape and ecological values of the
Town Belt.
6.5.4 To maximise use of existing formal indoor and outdoor recreation facilities by
intensifying the use of sports surfaces and ensuring the multiple use of
ancillary facilities, such as clubrooms, to reduce the demand for additional
facilities on the Town Belt.
6.5.5 The track (open space access) network provides for a range of user interest,
skills, abilities and fitness levels, and pedestrian and cycling commuter links.
6.5.6 Participation in all forms of sport and recreation is encouraged and
supported.
6.5.7 The Town Belt makes a significant contribution to the quality of life, health
and wellbeing of Wellingtonians by increasing physical activity and providing
access to natural environments.
6.6 Policies
Sport and recreation parks and facilities
6.6.1 Ensure the availability of a diverse range of sporting and recreation opportunities that
satisfies the needs of citizens and visitors.
6.6.2 Development of existing or building new sporting and club facilities is limited to the
existing footprint of sport and recreation parks and/or current leased areas and associated
hard infrastructure, such as car parks 21 . (These are identified in sector plans in Section 8
and subject to assessment against other Town Belt Management Plan policy and section 9
rules.)
6.6.3 Applications for the development of existing or new sporting and club facilities are subject
to:
52
• fulfilling the criteria set out in Policy 6.6.2 plus the assessment criteria in Section 9 and
in particular policy 9.5.1.
• research to confirm demand for such a development is required and sustainable for the
sport
• an assessment of alternative locations that are not on Town Belt land for such a
development
• the development minimising conflict with existing recreational activities
21 Note that where a leased building occurs within a sport and recreation Park, the effective area where development can
occur is limited by the sport and recreation park footprint and not the leased area.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• being consistent with the Community Recreation and Leases Policy (where
appropriate)
• being consistent with the policies in section 4 (landscape) and section 8 (management
sectors). See also policies in section 9 (rules for use and development).
6.6.4 Support the use of the Town Belt by elite sport provided such activity compliments
community use and access.
Sport and recreation clubs
6.6.4 Clubs will be encouraged to share facilities and develop ‘sportsville’-type models in the
Town Belt subject to policies (see Sport and Recreation Park Facilities policies).
6.6.5 Leasing of reserve land and facilities to sport and recreation clubs shall only be allowed
where the activity is consistent with the objectives of this management plan and, as such,
complies with the following:
• the activity is concerned with public recreation
• the activity is open for public participation (clubs will be encouraged to allow casual
play at their facilities or, at least, that their membership shall be open to all members of
the public).
6.6.6 Leases will be administered in accordance with the Council’s Leases Policy for Community
and Recreation Groups.
Track (access) network
6.6.7 The Town Belt will be improved by providing clearer information and signs, and by reducing
the gradient of tracks where feasible so the Town Belt’s features are accessible and usable
by everyone in the community. This includes the able-bodied, people pushing strollers, the
elderly and people with impairments or disabilities.
6.6.8 Tracks will be shared use (ie pedestrian and cycle) wherever this is appropriate. Tracks are
open for biking unless otherwise identified in accordance with the Open Space Access Plan
(2008).
6.6.9 The open space access network will be integrated with the wider city and regional access
networks, and the transport/commuting needs of pedestrians and cyclists.
6.6.10 Continue a programme for upgrading walking/cycling tracks in order of priority based on
use and asset condition.
6.6.11 All tracks will be physically sustainable and have minimal environmental impact, as far as
possible.
6.6.12 Tracks will be designed and maintained to defined standards in the Open Space Access Plan,
with significant hazards identified and/or mitigated.
6.6.13 Develop tracks within the Town Belt that are accessible to those with limited mobility, push
chairs and wheelchairs.
6.6.14 Develop a plan for additional beginner level/family friendly biking and walking tracks.
6.6.15 Maintain a practicable network of pedestrian and maintenance access-ways to service the
facilities, amenities, utilities and special features of the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 53

6.6.16 The walkway system will be accurately mapped and interpreted, and this information will
be freely available to the community.
Dog Exercise areas
6.6.17 Review the provision of Dog Exercise areas on Town Belt during the next review of the Dog
Policy. In particular Sector 3 Brooklyn Hills, Sector 4 MacAlister Park and Sector 9 Mt
Victoria/Matairangi.
Community gardens and orchards
6.6.18 Community gardens and orchards may be permitted for community groups to provide food,
recreation and therapeutic opportunities for the community.
6.6.19 Assessment of applications for use of the Town Belt for community gardens and orchards
will be according to the criteria specified in section 9 (Rules for use and development).
6.6.20 Licences for community gardens and orchards will be for a maximum of 10 years.
Recreation
6.6.21 Provide passive and/or informal recreation spaces in a variety of settings for people to enjoy
time out, explore nature and learn in a safe environment.
6.6.22 The Town Belt will contribute to the citywide parks and reserves network where identified
sites (see the sector plans in section 8) will provide sportsfields, neighbourhood parks, play
grounds, skateparks, ecological connectivity and track networks.
6.6.23 Recreation events and programmes will be run on Town Belt subject to section 9.4
Managed activities
54
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

7 Culture and history
Central Park in the 1920’s
(S C Smith Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, G- 46193-1/2)
Guiding principle
Management of the Town Belt will acknowledge historical and
cultural links to the land.
The Town Belt has a rich and diverse history and the Council recognises that the historical link of
mana whenua to the land has not been well acknowledged in the past. The Council intends to take
significant historical and cultural values into account when making decisions about the Town Belt.
7.1 Traditional history
The history and traditions related to the places that now make up the Town Belt go back to the
earliest arrival of Māori in Wellington. That time was arguably 850 AD, but perhaps nearer 1200
AD. Two important components of the Town Belt are the key ridgelines in the east and west of
central Wellington, known as Te Ranga a Hiwi – or the ridge of Hiwi – and the ridgeline of
Ahumairangi. Hiwi was the son of the daughter of Tara, the eponymous ancestor of Ngāi Tara. Ngāi
Tara were probably the first Māori to settle the area, constructing pā and developing gardens and
using the forests to gather food. Before Ngāi Tara were others, more of the hunter-gatherer groups
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 55

known by some as the kahui tipua, who moved around taking advantage of the natural resources of
the region.
Ngāi Tara built a series of pā, the largest being the Akatarewa Pā on the Town Belt around
Wellington College and extending up to the ridgeline. The Basin Reserve was the mahinga kai
(access to food and resources) called Hauwai, where the eels and other fish from the swamp
streams were gathered.
The other great ridgeline to frame Wellington City was known as Ahumairangi and later as
Tinakori Hill. Ahumairangi was to feature more in later Māori history as a place where Te
Atiawa/Taranaki Whānui were to establish gardens to feed the pā below and keep lookouts to warn
of the approach of raiding parties from other tribes. The name Ahumairangi could have derived
from a type of whirlwind. That ridgeline was less favoured for building pā and none were known to
be located there. By the time of Te Atiawa/Taranaki Whānui there had been the change from
fortified pā situated on defendable headlands to pā with minimal fortifications sited around the
harbour and close to the foreshore.
Not all the areas included in the Town Belt were occupied by Māori with pā and kainga, but the
entire area would have been used for food gathering with birds being snared. This is acknowledged
in names such as Paekaka, which probably referred to the tree perch for catching parrots and was
the name of a village situated in Thorndon close to the Town Belt.
Sites of significance to Māori are listed below. Those protected as “Sites of Significance to Tangata
Whenua or other Maori” in the District Plan are noted.
Tinakori and Orangikaupapa: 80 acres of the Town Belt were awarded by McCleverty to
Pipitea Māori in 1847. It is known that the Town Belt contained Māori cultivations, although it is
not known if they were on these lands awarded to Māori.
Polhill Gully Moe-i-ra: The area known as Polhill Gully, as established in McCleverty’s Award,
comprised 89 acres three roods and five perches. This included 31 town sections, mainly along Aro
Street, as well as the Town Belt additions known as blocks XV, XVa and XVb. By 1873, the Te Aro
Māori owners were leasing out the three big Town Belt blocks along with most of the town sections
to settler farmers.
Moera (M56 District Plan): Moe-ra (Moe-i-ra 22 or Moe-i-te-ra 23 ) was “a Ngāti Awa kainga,
possibly pallisaded”. It was situated where Marama Crescent now is, near the road to Brooklyn and
Ohiro.
Omaroro cultivation area (M74 District Plan): was located on steeply sloping ground, which
was perhaps terraced on a spur of the Turangarere hills at Brooklyn facing north-east within an
area now part of the Town Belt. This area became the Vogeltown Block and was awarded to Wi
Tako Ngatata of Kumutoto Pā.
Kumutoto kainga (M66 District Plan): Cultivations were situated on what is now the Botanic
Garden.
Te Akatarewa Pā (M70 District Plan): (above the Mt Victoria tunnel) was formerly home of
Ngāi Tara.
Matairangi/Tangi-te-keo - Mt Victoria (M72 District Plan): Māori tradition has it that
Wellington Harbour was occupied by two taniwha, Ngāke and Whataitai. In their time the harbour
was a lake blocked from the ocean and Ngāke wanted to escape to the open ocean. He crashed out
to form the channel known as Te Au a Tane, the present channel into Wellington harbour. When
Whataitai tried to follow suit through the area where Kilbirnie now is, he failed and became
22 Cited by Neville Gilmore, Historian for Wellington Tenths Trust.
23 Adkin, G Leslie: The Great Harbour of Tara 1959, p42.
56
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

stranded and instead the area uplifted leaving Whataitai high and dry. He then transformed into a
manuwairua called Te Keo or a spirit bird. Te Keo alighted on the lesser peak next to
Matairangi/Mt Victoria. The other peak became known Tangi Te Keo or the cry of Keo.
7.2 Historical outline of the development of the Wellington Town
Belt
August 1839: The New Zealand Company instructed surveyor, William Mein Smith, to lay out a
settlement at Port Nicholson (Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington Harbour), requiring that “the
whole of the town inland should be separated by a broad belt of land … to be public property on
condition that no buildings be ever erected on it”.
1840: The New Zealand Company settlement was moved, after three months, from its original site
near the mouth of the Hutt River to the shores of Lambton Harbour. Captain Mein Smith finalised
the plan of Wellington in August 1840. The plan was the first record of the Town Belt, which it
denoted as “land … reserved for the enjoyment of the public and not to be built upon”.
1841: Although the Port Nicholson deed of purchase, under which land for Wellington had been
obtained from Māori, was invalid, the Crown assumed ownership of the Town Belt area
(approximately 625ha) and proclaimed the land a public reserve without compensation.
Governor Hobson directed that a notice be published in the New Zealand Gazette requiring anyone
occupying public or native reserves to vacate those sites, and declaring that “all persons are
warned not to clear, fence, cultivate or build in or upon any portion of the belt of reserved land
surrounding the town”.
1847 to 1873: Over this period, one third of the Town Belt was taken variously for native reserves
awarded in partial compensation for land taken by the Crown, for social welfare and education
purposes and public works. Some of the land was later sold as residential sections or claimed for
roads.
1873: The remaining Town Belt was transferred from the Crown to the City of Wellington by the
Wellington City Reserves Act 1871 and the Town Belt and Basin Reserve Act 1873. The 1873 Town
Belt Deed set out the terms on which the City was to administer the land, as trustee, for the
charitable objectives set out in the deed. In particular, the Town Belt was “to be forever hereafter
used and appropriated as a public recreation ground for the inhabitants of the City of
Wellington”.
1873 to 1974: As the City grew, the Town Belt was increasingly developed and managed for
recreation and amenity. Sports ground and park development was a major focus up to the 1970s,
followed by the development of walkways and a track network in the late 20th century. Following
the almost complete clearance of the Town Belt’s native forest cover by the 1870s, large areas were
planted in exotic confers from 1880 to the 1930s. In the latter half of the 20th century a wider
range of species were planted, with an increasing emphasis on planting and encouraging the
natural regeneration of native species.
Further smaller areas of Town Belt land were taken for roads, education, housing and public works,
the largest of which was approximately 7.8ha for Victoria College (University) in 1901 and 1949. In
1959, another area of 5.6ha was also taken through the Wellington City Exhibition Grounds Act,
which authorised the Council to grant a 21-year lease with perpetual right of renewal to the
Wellington Show Association, to use the area as an exhibition site.
Management of the Town Belt was generally ad hoc during this period.
1975: The Town Belt Management Policy was approved. This was the first time a set of objectives
and policies for the entire Town Belt had been compiled.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 57

1980: Former Town Belt land behind Government House was returned to the Council.
1994: The Council approved the Town Belt Management Plan, which was published in 1995. The
plan provided a policy framework for managing and developing the Town Belt.
1998: The Council approved the Town Belt Reinstatement Policy, which outlined the Council’s
approach to recovering and reinstating land that had been in the original Town Belt.
1998 to 2008: During this time some of the original sections of the Town Belt were recovered:
Telecom land, Te Ahumairangi Hill (formerly called Tinakori Hill, 18.63ha) and the former Chest
Hospital (2.4ha).
2009: The Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act
2009 came into force on September 2, signed by the Crown and the Port Nicholson Block
Settlement Trust (representing descendants of tupuna of Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and
Ngāti Tama and holding a kaitiaki role for Ngāti Mutunga).
The nature and development of the Town Belt since 1842 gives it historic and cultural significance.
It is part of the story of Wellington’s development as a city. Its role as a recreation ground means
many of its historic features relate to its landscape and open space character, such as landform
modification, historic plantings, track development and garden development. However, the nature
of Wellington’s topography and historical development has also seen Town Belt land used for
infrastructure and public works purposes, resulting in places of historical significance.
58
Mt Victoria/Matairangi lookout with interpretation panels outlining
the cultural and historical significance of the area
7.3 Sites of interest and historic significance
Wireless Station, Te Ahumairangi Hill. The New Zealand Post Office wireless transmitting
station, initially called Etako (Wi Tako), was opened on 14 October 1912 and the first wireless
communication between New Zealand and Australia was successfully transmitted. The station,
which comprised a 45.75m aerial and a stone building, served as a coast radio station for shipping,
aircraft and lighthouses and for New Zealand’s international telegraph and telephone circuits. It
was modernised in 1924 into a short-wave radio station and further developed in 1939 for Radio
ZLW. It was closed when under Telecom ownership in September 1993.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Grant Road tunnel: The 40m tunnel on the hill above Grant Road was cut by a Mr G Thomas to
supply metal, by agreement with the Council in 1906. The tunnel is a point of interest on the
Northern Walkway.
Queens Park: This was originally known as the Grant Road Reserve, but renamed Queens Park in
1897 in honour of Queen Victoria’s reign (60 years). It was also later, but temporarily, known as
Lady Macalister Park, (after the wife of the former mayor Sir Robert 1950–1956).
The park holds two heritage objects listed in the District Plan. The Grant Road Fountain, circa
1911–1913, provided natural spring water from a nearby spring until 1961 when contamination
meant the mains supply had to be used. The Nathan Memorial, built in 1951, was sponsored by
estate agent Sydney Nathan to commemorate his 24-year-old son, who died in action in Crete in
1941.
Restoration work was completed on the fountain in 2011, following recommendations in a 2010
conservation plan. A conservation plan for the memorial is to be completed in 2012/13, followed by
recommended restoration work.
Stellin Memorial Park: James Stellin died in France in 1944 as he struggled to avoid crashing
his damaged Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber into the village of Saint-Maclou-la-Brière. The
village gave him a hero’s funeral and have honoured his memory ever since. When James’s father,
a prominent Wellington businessman and developer died in 1964, he bequeathed funds to build a
memorial in Saint-Maclou-la-Brière. He also gifted land in trust on the eastern side of Tinakori Hill
to Wellington City Council to create the James Stellin Memorial Park. The lookout was built in
1977.
On the 19 August 2007, the 63 rd anniversary of James Stellin’s death, a plaque was dedicated at the
lookout. French Ambassador HE M. Michel Legras spoke and laid a wreath, as did the Mayor,
Kerry Prendergast. The plaque reads:
In memory of
NZ 421785 Pilot Officer
James Kingston Stellin
Croix de Guerre avec Palme (Fr)
Died 19 August 1944
Aged 22 years
A hero in France and a worthy son of an Anzac
Kelburn Park: The park is significant as an early example of the Town Belt sports grounds that
were created by extensive cut and fill earthworks carried out, at least in part, under relief labour
schemes. Work began in 1895 and continued intermittently in tandem with the construction of
Victoria College (University), using spoil from the building site to fill a gully in the park. The park
was ready for use in the summer of 1906/07. The Kelburn Bowling Club and Kelburn Municipal
Croquet Club both began leasing land for playing greens in 1913 and the croquet club still operates
from the pavilion that was built in 1924.
The park also features an illuminated fountain, designed by Wellington architectural firm Gray,
Young and Morton for the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in Rongotai in 1940. After the
exhibition, it was put in storage until it was relocated to Kelburn Park in November 1956.
Specimen cabbage trees along Kelburn Parade date from 1908 when cabbage trees, popular with
the Edwardians, were a “signature tree of the Baths and Reserves Department” 24 .
24 Walter Cook, “Why major specimen tree types were planted in the Wellington Botanic Garden”. Friends of
the Wellington Botanic Garden Newsletter 2010.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 59

Aro Valley War Memorial: The memorial is located on Town Belt land at the top end of Aro
Street, bounded by Raroa Road and Holloway Road. The inscription reads: “Erected in memory of
the boys of the Mitchelltown School and district who served abroad in the Great War 1914–
1919” 25 .
The school operated on nearby Town Belt land above Holloway Road from 1894 26 to 1938 27 .
Ohiro Benevolent Home: Also known as the Ohiro Old People’s Home, the home was built in
1892 on a 2.23ha site, partly Town Belt, above Epuni Street and, from 1904, an access-way across
the Town Belt was also leased. It was transferred to the Wellington Hospital Board in 1901 and
later renamed the Central Park Hospital. The hospital closed in 1975 and, until its demolition in
1977, was one the last remaining examples of 19th century large wooden hospitals. Today,
remnants of the buildings foundations are visible at Ohiro Park 28 29 .
Central Park: Tree planting in the area between Brooklyn Road and Ohiro Road, later named
Central Park, began in 1907 with encouragement from the Scenery Preservation Society. Park
development began in 1913, assisted by money raised by the Citizens Easter Carnival Association.
The development plan included a children’s play area, provision for future sports grounds, a small
lake and various walks. The fountain and main entrance gates, donated in 1920, still remain as well
as exotic trees probably dating back to the early plantings.
Various parts were used intermittently as rubbish dumps between 1904 and 1959, which
contributed to the filling of gullies such as that now occupied by the Renouf Tennis Centre. The
park was used as a military camp during the Second World War and it underwent various
refurbishments during the 1960s, 1990s and, most recently, in 2006.
Newtown Park: The first sportsfield on the Town Belt was opened at Newtown Park in 1881. It
included a promenade, band rotunda and formal gardens and originally included a reservoir, which
later became part of the Wellington Zoological Gardens. As well as sports and amenity uses, it was
used as military camps during the Boer War and both World Wars, and was a site for mass
meetings, such as those held during the Tramway Strike of 1912 30 . The park was substantially
remodelled between 1969 and 1972 and all that now remains of the original features are the historic
conifer plantings on the bank between Newtown Park and Mt Albert Road. The Entrance gates are
listed as heritage objects in the District Plan.
Mt Albert signal station site: Wellington’s first signal station for shipping was built on Mt
Albert in 1844. It operated until 1866, when the signal station at Beacon Hill began operation. The
first signalman at Mt Albert was Robert Houghton, a master mariner. Six different shaped signals
were raised on a flagstaff to denote different types of ship approaching and were lowered once the
ship was inside the harbour heads. Mt Albert is now the site of two water reservoirs 31 32 .
Hataitai Park: The 4.05ha area was created for sports use between 1929 and 1936, partly through
excavation works carried out by relief labour and partly by using spoil from the Mt Victoria traffic
tunnel, which opened in 1931. The body of 17-year-old Phyllis Symons was discovered buried in fill
on the site in 1931 and a site labourer, George Coats, was convicted and hanged for the ‘Town Belt
murder’.
Sewer Ventilation Tower: This brick structure, located close to the present-day Wellington
Harrier Athletic Club building on Alexandra Road, was constructed to ventilate the drainage and
sewerage tunnel built beneath the ridge during the 1890s.
25 Aro Valley War Memorial, http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/aro-valley-war-memorial, (Ministry for Culture
and Heritage), updated 9 November 2010.
26 Town Belt Management Plan 1995, Appendix 4.
27 http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewRelatedEntities.do?code=W3771&relatedEntity=Item
28 Wellington City Archives, Photographic negative Series, Ref. No. 00158:3:7.
29 Town Belt Management Plan 1995, Appendix 4.
30 Town Belt Management Plan 1995, Appendix 4.
31 H. Baillie, “The Early Reclamations and Harbour-works of Wellington.” Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New Zealand, Volume 55, 1924.
32 “Signal Station, Mt Albert”. New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 21, 1 March 1845, 4.
60
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Former Chest Hospital: Originally built as a fever hospital, 1918-1920, the building was later
used for the Chest Hospital (1969–1981) and then the Wellington Polytechnic Conservatorium of
Music (1987–- 1998). The site, on Alexandra Road, was alienated from the Town Belt as part of a
much larger alienation in 1872, and was returned to the Council in 2002. It includes the hospital
wing and adjacent nurses hostel. The Chest Hospital building is listed as a Category II heritage
building in the New Zealand Historic Places Trust register.
Pirie Street Conifer plantations: These conifers, together with the conifers at Newtown Park,
were planted in 1880. They are significant as the oldest of the conifer plantations on the Town Belt
and, therefore, representative of the early strains of conifers that were propagated at the
Wellington Botanic Garden and used throughout New Zealand as well as on the Town Belt.
Evidence of an early quarry site, closed around 1880, can also be seen in the Pirie Street area.
The Byrd Memorial: The New Zealand National Memorial to Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd,
south of the Matairangi (Mt Victoria peak) lookout, was unveiled on 11 March 1962. Admiral Byrd,
an aviator and explorer, was the first to fly over the South Pole and commanded American
expeditions to Antarctica between 1828 and 1957. He developed close ties with New Zealand, which
he used as a base for his expeditions, including Wellington. The concrete memorial, which was
designed to evoke the shape of a polar tent, incorporates stones from Antarctica, a bronze bust of
Admiral Byrd and commemoration of Paul Siple who accompanied Byrd on his expeditions. When
the memorial was restored in the early 1990s, it was reclad with ceramic tiles depicting auroras,
designed by artist Doreen Blumhardt.
Time signal cannon: The bronze cannon, now sited on the slope below the Matairangi lookout,
was hauled to the ridgetop in 1877. It was used as a time gun, firing daily at noon, until 1900.
Former 2YA Transmitter Building: Also known as ‘the Castle’ because of its distinctive
battlement design, the building and radio station 2YA was opened in 1927 by then Prime Minister
Coates and new twin transmitter towers were commissioned at the same time. The building has
played an important part in the history of broadcasting in New Zealand, having housed a number
of radio stations (private and state-run) as well as early television broadcasting in the early 1960s.
It is still used for radio broadcasting. Note this building is not on Town Belt.
Mt Victoria Signal Station site: The signal station was built on Mt Victoria in 1866 as a
repeater station – it repeated the signals from the Beacon Hill Signal Station, so they could be seen
from Wellington. The area was also used as a quarantine area for scabby sheep. A signalman’s
cottage was built in 1891. The station closed in 1940 and the cottage was destroyed in 1957. In 1964
a paved courtyard was built on the site as part of the summit redevelopment.
Wellington Centennial Memorial Lookout: The lookout was constructed at the north end of
the Mt Victoria (Te Ranga a Hiwi) ridge in 1939 and opened officially in 1940. Granite that had
been part of the Waterloo Bridge, demolished in 1938, was gifted for its construction by the London
County Council. The covered lookout contains a direction indicator, as well as bronze busts of
Edward Gibbon Wakefield (director of the New Zealand Company) and the Duke of Wellington.
Any specific policies on individual sites are included in sector plans.
7.4 Objectives
7.4.1 Significant historical and cultural features and values of the Town Belt are
identified, managed and protected.
7.4.2 Appreciation of the cultural heritage of the Town Belt is enhanced through
research and interpretation.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 61

7.5 Policies
Recognition and protection
7.5.1 Explore options for heritage recognition and protection under the Open Space C zoning
during the review of the open space chapters in the District Plan.
7.5.2 Consultation with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and mana whenua will be an
important part of managing historic and traditional sites and wāhi tapu (sacred sites).
7.5.3 Recognised historic sites will be protected and managed in a manner reflecting their value
and significance, in consultation with any directly affected groups or individuals.
7.5.4 Authority shall be sought from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust before any work is
carried out when there is reasonable cause to suspect that an archaeological site (recorded
or unrecorded) may be damaged, modified or destroyed by any activity in accordance with
the Historic Places Act (1993).
7.5.5 Wherever possible, Māori place names will be used, in conjunction with European place
names on signs and maps.
7.5.6 Any activity occurring on or near the “Sites of Significance to Tangata Whenua or other
Maori” listed in the District Plan shall be discussed with mana whenua before the activity
starts.
7.5.7 Interpretation of these significant sites will be carried out in partnership with mana
whenua.
Research
7.5.8 Record and disseminate Māori and European historical information of the Town Belt land.
Interpretation
7.5.9 Work with mana whenua, community groups and historical societies to identify, assess and
interpret important heritage sites.
62
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

8 Management Sectors
Wakefield Park
looking north
towards
Berhampore.
Note the golf course
on both sides of
Adelaide road and
the skatepark.
Photo: Sports
Technology
International
This plan divides the Town Belt into nine geographic sectors for ease of management and
understanding by local communities (Figure 8). Each sector recognises the complexity of the
topography, vegetation, uses and communities of interest in the Town Belt. These sectors are:
1. Te Ahumairangi Hill
2. Kelburn Park
3. Aro Valley
4. Brooklyn Hills
5. Macalister Park
6. Golf Course/Mt Albert
7. Newtown/Crawford Road
8. Hataitai Park
9. Mt Victoria
This section describes the features of each geographic area and existing uses. The proposed
additions to the Town Belt are identified as well as some of the boundary adjustments. Potential
management of landscape, ecology and biodiversity, cultural and historic values and recreation
facilities are discussed.
The draft policies are specific to each sector. The general policies should also be referred to. The
sector policies take precedence over the general policies.
There are four supporting maps for each sector showing the:
1. context
2. landscape and existing vegetation
3. current uses (eg recreation facilities)
4. management and projected future changes.
These maps are at the end of each sector.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 63 .

64 .
Karo ri
Ow hiro Bay
Sector 1
Te Ahumairangi Hill
Sector 2
Kelburn Park
Wilton
Sector 3 Highb ury
Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Sector 4
Brooklyn Hills
Sector 5
Macalister Park
Broo klyn
Sector 6
Golf Course / Mt Albert
Northland
Kin gston
Kelburn
Aro Va lley
Morningto n
Town Belt management sectors
Vo geltow n
Islan d Bay
Te Aro
Mt C ook
Berh amp ore
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Wellington
Botanic Garden
Tho rn don
Wellingt on C entral
Wadesto wn
New tow n
Pip ite a
Mt Victoria
Melro se
Oriental Bay
Orienta l B ay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Lya ll Ba y
Hata it ai
Kilbirnie
Rosen eath
Sector 7
Evans Bay
Newtown / Crawford Road
Ron gotai
0 250 500 1,000
metres
scale 1:29,000
¯
Sector 9
Mt Victoria / Matairangi
Sector 8
Hataitai Park
Miram ar
Chest Hospital
Wellington Zoo
Suburbs

8.1 Sector 1 Te Ahumairangi Hill
8.1.1 Character and use
Te Ahumairangi Hill provides a green backdrop to the CBD
Te Ahumairangi 29 is a prominent ridge rising to 300m between the suburbs of Northland and
Wadestown providing a backdrop to the CBD and Thorndon (Sector 1: context map). Its height and
dark colour make it a dominant backdrop to inner city high rise buildings. There are three distinct
character areas:
1. The escarpment comprising the steep eastern vegetated hillsides facing the city
containing a mosaic of pine forest and regenerating native forest, with deciduous woodland
of primarily oak trees below Wadestown Road. On the lower slopes and in some places
further up the steep gullies are large infestations of sycamore. The steep topography
coupled with the abrupt edge at the base of the escarpment next to Grant Road limits access
along this edge. The landscape is in a period of change following the removal of 10.5ha of
hazardous trees in 2005 and 2006.
2. The summit ridge is open undulating ground with panoramic views, especially west to the
Outer Green Belt. It is interspersed with tall vegetation and provides a variety of spaces and
easy walking experiences. It is easily accessed from Northland in the south and Wadestown
in the north.
3. The western slopes are exposed to the sun and northerly winds, and feature regenerating
native and exotic scrub interspersed with pines. This area extends fingers of open space
from the summit ridge into the suburban housing below and into vegetated gullies. Access
to the hill is easier than on the steep eastern side.
Te Ahumairangi Hill is mainly used for informal recreation and offers an extensive network of
tracks, including the Northern Walkway 30 , which are close to the city and suburbs. Mountain
biking occurs on some tracks. Te Ahumairangi Hill is one of the least visited sectors of the Town
Belt with 10 percent of those surveyed in the 2009 Residents Survey having visited regularly (at
least once a month) and almost 30 percent never having visited.
There are two play areas: at Glamorgan Park, Northland and Pembroke Road/Monmouth Way
Park, Wilton.
29 Te Ahumairangi Hill was previously known as Tinakori Hill. The name change was approved as part of the
Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009.
30 A 16km walkway from the Botanic Garden to Johnsonville.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 65 .

There are two water reservoirs within the reserve – a large underground reservoir at the northern
end and a smaller above ground reservoir at the southern end. Both have associated pipes and
overflow pipes that run through the Town Belt to connect to the network outside the reserve.
Chorus owns a small area at the southern end of the hill containing telecommunications equipment
and masts. They have an access easement from Orangi Kaupapa Road over the Town Belt.
8.1.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
The existing Town Belt land on Te Ahumairangi Hill includes only about two-thirds of the open
space on the Hill (Sector 1: context map). Adjacent reserve areas, such as Stellin Memorial Park,
Western Slopes Reserve, Glamorgan Play area and Reserve, the former Telecom land and the
Rangiohua Reserve, are Council-owned but not legally Town Belt. These five areas will be managed
under this plan and are described below. It is proposed that 38.27ha of land in this sector will be
managed as Town Belt and added to the Town Belt by legislation. Visually, the hill seems to be one
area of open space, is accessible to the public and is currently managed by the Council as if it is all
Town Belt and one natural reserve area.
Please refer to Table 1 at the end of this sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions and
removals and boundary adjustments.
Stellin Memorial Park: The park is part of the original Town Belt. The land can be accessed
from Orangi Kaupapa Road. In 1964 the land now known as Stellin Memorial Park was bequeathed
in trust to Wellington City Council in memory of James Stellin, who died in France in 1944 as he
struggled to avoid crashing his damaged Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber into the village of Saint-
Maclou-la-Brière. The village gave him a hero’s funeral and have honoured his memory ever since.
The lookout was built in 1977.
A small lot adjoining the land above, described as Lot 16, DP 2011, comprising 0.0506ha, is still
held as Council-owned freehold land and was taken by proclamation for housing development in
1969. This land parcel, although not reserve land, is managed as part of Stellin Memorial Park.
Stellin Memorial Park is visually and physically connected to existing Town Belt and former
Telecom land, and together they make up the open space of Te Ahumairangi Hill. This land
definitely strengthens the Town Belt’s horseshoe shape and contributes to the green backdrop for
the central city. The existing tracks and informal recreation use complement the use within this
sector of Town Belt.
Western Slopes Reserve: This
reserve, next to the former Telecom
land, consists of a large bush-covered
hillside linking Edgeware Road/Cecil
Road to Pembroke Road (play area)
and connecting through to Glamorgan
Street.
It is contiguous with the Town Belt
vegetation and landscape, and provides
an important green backdrop, up to the
ridgeline reserves of Te Ahumairangi
Hill above the suburbs of Northland
and Wilton. The land is accessible and
has the potential to provide linkages
between Te Ahumairangi Hill, and
Otari-Wilton’s Bush through Wilton.
66 .
Land acquired by Council for Town Belt
purposes but not protected under the Deed:
Western Slopes reserve, Northland
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

A total of 3.4972ha of the Western Slopes Reserve is classified as Recreation Reserve and can be
added to the Town Belt. The remaining land needs to be defined by survey and a new Certificate of
Title issued before it can be added to the Town Belt.
Glamorgan Play Area: The Reserve is held in two parts. The first, off Glamorgan Street, is a flat
grassy section with children’s play equipment. The larger lot, behind the play area, is a bushcovered
hillside next to the former Telecom land (also proposed to be added to the Town Belt). It
provides a link through existing Town Belt to Glamorgan Street.
Apart from the play area, the majority of this reserve land is connected with Town Belt vegetation
and environs and links with the Western Slopes Reserve. This is an important green backdrop to
the ridgeline reserves of Te Ahumairangi Hill above Northland and Wilton.
Rangiohua Reserve: This reserve was acquired by the Council in 2007. It is an area of
regenerating native bush of 0.9290ha next to the north-western boundary of Te Ahumairangi Hill
and just above the unformed legal portion of Weld Street. Most of the area is dominated by low
mahoe with a compact and dense canopy. Groundcover plants include hounds tongue fern and
shining spleenwort. There are also local patches of flaxland and significant amounts of Darwin’s
barberry both in the canopy and at seedling stage.
The Council has resolved to classify the land as Recreation Reserve and add it to the Town Belt.
Former Telecom (Chorus) land: The Telecom land on Te Ahumairangi Hill was originally part
of the New Zealand Company’s Belt of land for ‘public purposes’. In 1847 the McCleverty Awards
allocated the land to Māori in recompense for settlers occupying Māori land in Thorndon. Between
1911 and 1935 the Crown took back the land for a wireless and telegraph station and then sold it to
Telecom NZ Ltd in 1991.
Part of the land was sold to the Council in 2000. The sale involved the subdivision of the 24ha into
two lots, with the Council purchasing 18.63ha and Telecom retaining 6.23ha for use as a
telecommunication site.
In 2012 the Council acquired 4.7ha of the remaining land owned by Chorus. Chorus retain
ownership of about 1.5ha which contains the existing telecommunication towers and associated
equipment.
The land is currently maintained by the Council, which carries out pest animal and plant control.
The access road through the site is used for walking and biking and for reserve maintenance.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.1.2.1 To formally add the following areas to Town Belt:
• Stellin Memorial Park
• Glamorgan Street Play Area and Reserve
• Western Slopes Reserve
• former Telecom land
• Rangiohua land
• land off Wadestown Road
• Goldies Brae – the land next to Goldie’s Brae (following the necessary survey and
road-stopping processes)
• Grant Road – the unformed part of Grant Road (following the necessary roadstopping
process).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 67 .

8.1.2.2 Upper Weld Street – To survey and define the road boundaries of Upper Weld Street and
have the Town Belt status removed and the land gazetted as legal road.
8.1.3 Landscape management
Te Ahumairangi Hill is distinctive because of its three character areas – the escarpment, the
summit ridge and the western slopes. In addition, the large mature tree framework associated with
the stands of very large pine and macrocarpa trees give a sense of scale to the landscape. This is
particularly visible at the Weld Street entrance and alongside Wadestown Road.
Te Ahumairangi Hill has undergone major changes in vegetation structure as a result of the storms
of February and August 2004 that caused severe damage to the existing conifer forest. Over 10.5ha
of conifer forest were damaged and subsequently removed (see Sector 1: landscape and existing
vegetation map). It is essential that during this period of major landscape change the distinct
character of the hill is maintained as far as is practicable.
Since that time, conifer removal has been limited to edge trees next to areas cleared in 2004/2005
that have subsequently fallen. There are no plans for major tree removal over the next 10 years
unless there is major storm damage. A group of pines at the bottom end of Wadestown Road has
been identified as a high priority for removal over the next five years.
Policies – Landscape management
8.1.3.1 Manage the vegetation and maintain the grassland to protect the open-space character of
the ridgeline consistent with the Tinakori Hill Landscape Plan.
8.1.3.2 Manage conifer removal and replacement with native species on the escarpment based on
a hazard assessment programme.
8.1.3.3 Maintain the open nature of the western slopes and gradually remove wilding pines.
8.1.3.4 Develop and maintain key viewing points as identified on Sector One: current uses map.
8.1.3.5 Retain and enhance the deciduous woodland below Wadestown Road.
8.1.3.6 Limit built structures on the skyline to telecommunication structures on Chorus land.
68 .
Te Ahumairangi Hill seven years after the pine tree removal
showing native regeneration
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

8.1.4 Ecology and biodiversity
Te Ahumairangi Hill and the proposed additions to the Town Belt in this sector make up the largest
neighbouring areas of vegetation on the Town Belt with nearly 100ha in pines and regenerating
native vegetation (Sector 1: landscape and existing vegetation map). The area has additional value
due to its size and shape. It has fewer edge effects and a larger core than most other Town Belt
areas, meaning it is more resilient to external influences. Its proximity to Otari-Wilton’s Bush
(around 500m) and the Outer Green Belt means it has added potential as habitat due to the
existing connections with these areas. The nature of the vegetated slopes also provides connections
for our larger avian species with the wider Town Belt, to Mt Victoria for example. It also forms part
of a key ecological corridor from Zealandia along the Hutt escarpment to Belmont Regional Park.
Given the advanced natural regeneration on the east-facing slopes most of the areas were left to
regenerate naturally following logging in 2005. Management in this area is limited to the control of
exotic weeds. However, revegetation planting took place on other cleared sites:
• Large-scale planting of northern rata was carried out at the northern end of the hill. This
has been reasonably successful given the plants are very slow growing and suffer from
competition. Plenty have survived and weed control will continue. There are no plans for
more plantings in this area.
• Over 300 rimu were planted in moist east-facing gullies as a trial restoration. Survival of
these trees has been low because of competition from weeds, low light levels and poor soil
conditions. Future planting will occur in light gaps once weeds are well controlled.
There are a number of wilding pines in the Western Slopes Reserve adjacent to Te Ahumairangi
Hill. These will be removed in the long term but are not a high priority.
There is ongoing possum control on the hill.
There are two community restoration groups working on the hill:
• Friends of Patanga Crescent manage restoration of the land around Thorndon Green.
• The Rangiohua Group is restoring the area acquired by the Council in 2007.
Policies – Ecological and biodiversity
8.1.4.1 Restore podocarp and broadleaf forest cover following removal of exotic tree cover.
8.1.4.2 Trial enhancement planting of successional species on the west-facing escarpment.
8.1.4.3 Maintain the northern rata planting on the north-east-facing slopes.
8.1.4.4 Continue with animal pest control and the control of exotic weeds.
8.1.5 Recreation
Te Ahumairangi Hill is one of the least developed sectors of the Town Belt and provides a natural
environment for informal recreation, particularly walking, running and biking (Sector 1: current
uses map). Mountain biking is increasing in popularity and, in 2008, more of the tracks were
opened up to bikes to reflect this increasing use. Its size and number of tracks can be confusing to
users.
In 2008 the Tinakori Hill Landscape plan was prepared. Key projects that have been implemented
include a lookout and picnic area at the southern end and improved entrances and tracks. Some
unused buildings have been removed.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 69 .

Dog walking is a very popular activity especially along the ridgeline, which is a designated dog
exercise area. In a survey of dog owners in 2008 31 it was the fourth most used dog exercise area in
Wellington City. There is also a dog exercise area on the north-eastern slopes.
There are two leases in this sector:
• Wellington Potters Association Ltd owns the large building on Grant Road and has a
ground lease with the Council covering the footprint of the building (280sq m).
• Wade Street Community Tennis Club Inc has a ground lease with the Council for one
tennis court (700sq m) with no buildings or structures. The court surface was recently
upgraded.
Policies – Recreation
8.1.5.1 Assess suitability of the track network for increased use by mountain bikes.
8.1.5.2 Improve entry points and access from the Central Business District and neighbouring
suburbs.
8.1.5.3 There will be no increase in the footprint of the existing leased facilities (Wade Street
Community Tennis Club and Wellington Potters Club). If the existing use of these facilities
cease, then the structures and building will be removed.
8.1.5.4 Maintain the dog exercise area along the ridgeline.
8.1.6 Culture and history
Before European settlement the entire ridgeline was known as Te Ahumairangi. The name may
derive from a type of whirlwind. According to ethnographer Elsdon Best 32 part of the ridge had an
‘old placename’ of Paehuia, possibly referring to the presence of the now extinct bird, the huia,
which may have lived in the tall, dense forest.
When Europeans did settle, one of the first roads constructed ran along the foot of the range. The
story goes that Māori workmen were annoyed that they had to work without stopping for lunch
(kahore meaning none) or dinner (tina). The phrase stuck and both the road and the range were
called Tinakore and later Tinakori.
The highest (southern) peak on Te Ahumairangi Hill has had various names. Elsdon Best recorded
the name being used by Māori as Otari – a name we give to another peak. Its first colonial name,
used into the early 1900s, was Mt Wakefield after the Englishman Edward Gibbon Wakefield. His
New Zealand Company founded the colony we now know as Wellington in 1839. The surveyors
aboard the HMSS Acheron labelled the peak McCleverty Hill on their 1849 chart of Port Nicholson.
In 1847 Lieutenant Colonel McCleverty had been appointed by the government to resolve the
problems caused by the New Zealand Company selling land to settlers that was already occupied by
Māori. Mt Etako, Upper Etako or South Etako were names given to the same peak and the official
title for its beaconed trig station is Upper Witako No.2. Early European maps give alternative
names as Mt Wakefield or Mt Etako and the name Etako was still used in the 1940s. This name
recalls the Ati Awa chief Hon. Wi (Wiremu) Tako Ngatata, who was a leading figure in the nearby
Pipitea Pā and died in 1887.
When Ati Awa established Pipitea Pā in the 1820s they made good use of a track over Te
Ahumairangi Hill, through Karori and on to Owhariu (Makara Beach) from where they could
31 WCC Dog Exercise Survey 2008
32 Best, E. Forest Lore of the Maori. Dominion Museum Bulletin No. 14 and Polynesian Society Memoir No. 18. First
published 1942. Reprint: E. C. Keating, Government Printer Wellington, New Zealand 1977
70 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

launch their waka (canoes) avoiding the treacherous rips of the south coast. Whether the trail was
already established is unknown.
European history
Wireless station: In October 1912 an area of 60 acres (24.28ha) of former Māori Reserve land
was granted for the New Zealand Post Office Wireless Transmitting Station. It consisted of a 150ft
(45.75m) aerial, supported by masts of Oregon pine and a stone building designed to resist strong
winds. The system was modernised into a short-wave station in 1924. In 1939 a new aerial was
constructed for Radio LZW. The radio station, then owned by Telecom, was closed in 1993.
The group of houses associated with the station was removed in 2011. One house has been retained
– the former caretaker’s house built in the 1930s.
The recently opened Te Ahumairangi lookout includes some information on the history of this area.
Policies – Culture and history
8.1.6.1 Investigate a possible future use and restoration of the Pump House on Wadestown Road.
8.1.6.2 Review the heritage value of the former caretaker’s house and investigate possible
sustainable uses.
8.1.7 Encroachments
There are no major access encroachments in this sector.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 71 .

Wilton Rd
Pembro ke Rd
Northland
Albemarle Rd
Crieff St
Chequers Way
Chartwell Dr
Otari-Wilton's Bush
Western Slopes
Reserve Reserve
Rochester St
Chorus land
Bedford St
Northland Rd
Harbo ur View Rd
Warwick St
Crofton Downs
Wilton Bush Rd
Huntingdon St
Seaview Tce
Sarah Way
Churchill Dr
Glamorgan Street
Play Area & Reserve
Former Telecom/
Chorus Land land
Wilton
Arden Way
Pembro ke Rd
Puketiro Ave
Garden Rd
Blackbridg e Rd
Edgeware Rd
Glenmo re St
Sector 1 - Te Ahumairangi Hill
Context
Churchill Dr
Rose St
Euston Rd
St Mary St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
72 .
Stellin Memorial
Park
Rangiohua Reserve
Wellington Botanic
Garden
Trelissick
Park
Tinakori Rd
Salamanca Rd
Kelburn
Wadestown Rd
Mairangi Rd
Ascot St
Talavera Tce
Cecil Rd
Weld St
Harriett St
Aurora Tce
Clifton Tce
Leslie St
Poplar Gr
Hanover St
Wadestown
Weld St
Bolton Street
Memorial Park
Wade St
Bowen St
Grant Rd
The Terrace
Fern hill Tce
Pitt St
Thorndon
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards (1847)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Fitzroy St
Wadestown Rd
Hill St
Lennel Rd
Burnell Ave
Oban St
Sefton St
Stout St
Sefton St
Fitzherbert Tce
Mu rphy St
Mu lgrave St
Fran di St
Stowe Hill
Hobson St
Pipitea St
Thorndon Quay
Land managed as Town Belt
Ngaio
Barnard St
Anne St
Wadestown Road
Reserve
Thorndon Quay
Hobson St
0 100 200 400
metres
scale 1:11,000
¯
Sar St
Hutt Rd
Pipitea
Waterloo Quay
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Other Town Belt/Council reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
City access points
Ecological connectivity
Northern Walkway

Seaview Tce
Wilton Bush Rd
Orangi Kaup apa Rd
Warwick St
Cardigan Way
Lanark Way
Pembro ke Rd
Huntingdon St
Bedford St
Stratford Way
Arden Way
Pembro ke Rd
Churchill Dr
Puketiro Ave
Mataroa Ave
Garden Rd
Bank Rd
Wilton Rd
Norwich St
Edgeware Rd
Glenmo re St
Euston Rd
Pembroke Road/
Monmouth Way Play Area
Glamorgan Street
Play Area
Reservoir
Mataroa Ave
Rose St
The Rangiohua Group
Restoration Project
Collins Tce
Dorset Way
Cecil Rd
Te Ahumairang i
Looko ut
Kilmister Ave
Sector 1 - Te Ahumairangi Hill
Current uses
Euston Rd
Patanga Cres
Mairangi Rd
Lewisville Tce
St Mary St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Rutland Way
Cecil Rd
Lytto n St
Ascot St
Tinakori Rd
Reservoir
Pitarua St
Glenbervie Tce
Friends of Patanga Crescent
Restoration Project
Wesley Rd
Sydney St West
Kinross St
Harriett St
Easdale St
Wade St
Weld St
Aurora Tce
Margaret St
Poplar Gr
Calg arry Ave
Torless Tce
Weld St
Aoran gi Tce
Chorus land with
telecommunication masts
Ballan trae Pl
Bolton St
Malcolm Lane
Bowen St
Mo wbray St
Selwyn Tce
Rankin St
Pitt St
Wellington Urban Moto rway
Hill St
The Terrace
Roscoe Tce
George St
Mu seum St
Wood ward St
Mo orhouse St
Wade Street Community
Tennis Club
Wellington Urban Moto rway
Hawkeston e St
Portland Cres
Mo orhouse St
Wadestown Rd
Eccleston Hill
Park St
Whitmore St
Stout St
Grant Rd
Mo lesworth St
Lambton Qu ay
Magin nity St
Ballan ce St
Lennel Rd
Burnell Ave
Collina Tce
May St
Featherston St
Sefton St
Oban St
Orchard St
Aitken St
Mu rphy St
Little Pipitea St
Wingfield St
Sefton St
Pipitea St
Mu lgrave St
Kate Sh eppard Pl
Hosking Lan e
Newman Tce
Mu rrayfield Dr
Wellington Potters Association
!(
Landmark sculpture
installation
Grant Rd
Bunny St
Waterloo Quay
¯
Lower Watt St
Hobson St
Main access points
!( Other access points
4 Lookouts
Bowen StBunny St
Northern Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Car parks
Neighbourhood park
Dog exercise areas
Water facilities
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500
Historic
waterworks
building
Queens Park
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 73 .

Sector 1 - Te Ahumairangi Hill
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
74 .
Open western slopes
with exposed ridges
and vegetated gullies
Telecommunication
structures on Chorus
land
Open summit ridge
with panoramic views
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Regenerating to native
forest after pine-tree
removal
Mature tree framework
at northern edge of the
ridgeline
Native forest - 33.5ha
Native scrub/shrubland - 9.9ha
¯
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 0.3ha
Mixed forest (exotic-native) - 9.0ha
Revegetation - 4.5ha
Conifer dominant - 41.5ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland - 3.5ha
Exotic forest - 2.8ha
Grassland - 3.8ha
Steep vegetated
escarpment provides
backdrop to CBD
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500

Landscape:
Limit skyline structures
to telecommunication
equipment on Chorus land
Recreation:
Future track link to
Monmouth Way
Sector 1 - Te Ahumairangi Hill
Management and proposed future changes
Upper Weld Street removal
Landscape:
Maintain open grassland
on ridgetop and important
lookout points
Vegetation management:
Gradually remove wilding
pines from the western slopes
Ecology:
Maintain pest and
weed control
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Grant Road addition
Ecology:
Maintain northern rata
within existing area and
monitor success
Vegetation management:
Long-term removal of pines
and restoration of native
forest
Recreation:
Retain informal wilderness
character of secondary tracks
Recreation:
Consider increased mountain bike
access to the track network
¯
Vegetation management:
Maintain and enhance the
deciduous woodland. Selective
removal of sycamore
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500
Goldies Brae
addition
Heritage:
Investigate future use
and restoration of the
historic water works building
Vegetation management:
Maintain large species conifers
along Wadestown Road
Ecology:
Trial enhancement with
successional species
including podocarps and tawa
Northern Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed addition
Proposed removal
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 75 .

Table 1: Town Belt land additions, removals and boundary rationalisation – Te Ahumairangi Hill sector
Site name Legal description and
area
Privately
owned
undeveloped
land below
Stellin
Memorial
Park
Orangi
Kaupapa road
reserve and
isolation
strips
Stellin
Memorial
Park
76 .
Located off Orangi Kaupapa
Road, this is a piece of
Council-owned Recreation
Reserve subject to the
Reserves Act 1977. The land
is described as Lot 4 DP
71636, CT 41C/616,
comprising 0.1787 ha.
Zoned Open Space B in the
District Plan
This is Council-owned land
described as Pt Sections 13 &
14 Orangi Kaupapa Blk, & Pt
Lot 4 DP 706 & Lot 2 DP
51241 and comprising of
6.4719 ha. All Certificate of
Title 21C/945. The majority
of the reserve is Recreation
Reserve, NZ Gazette 1989
page 4485.
A small lot adjoining the
land above, described as Lot
16 DP 2011 and comprising
0.0506ha, is still held as
Council freehold land and is
managed as part of Stellin
Memorial Park.
Zoned Open Space B in the
District Plan
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
This includes privately owned residential The Town Belt Reinstatement The undeveloped sections provide
properties to the south of Te Ahumairangi Policy 1998 ((TBRP) 1998 a green link between Te
(Tinakori Hill), part of the Pipitea Māori refers to this residential area as Ahumairangi Hill and the Botanic
Cultivation and original Town Belt. In “Northland –west of Glenmore Garden, which strengthens the
1847 the McCleverty Awards allocated the Street. The policy states: “The visual continuity of Te
land to Māori in recompense for settlers residential land is no longer Ahumairangi Hill. The steep
occupying Māori land in Thorndon. suitable for Town Belt
topography would make access
purposes …”
difficult. This land has significant
It includes privately owned bush-covered
landscape and ecological values
properties between Glenmore Street and The Town Belt Management and was also part of the original
Stellin Memorial Park. These properties Plan (TBMP) 1995 states: the Town Belt.
provide a green link from Stellin Memorial “Council shall seek to have …
Park down to the Botanic Garden.
the undeveloped land below
Stellin Memorial Park,
currently in private ownership
… reinstated to the Town belt
through negotiation with land
owners” (TBMP 1995, part 2,
page 2).
This land was originally envisaged as part
of the New Zealand Company’s belt of land
for ‘public purposes’, set apart for the
Pipitea Māori Cultivation and Tinakore
North and South lands. It remains
undeveloped and is densely vegetated.
It is isolated from Stellin Memorial Park
and adjoining Town Belt.
Stellin Memorial Park is part of the land
originally envisaged by the New Zealand
Company as a belt of land for ‘public
purposes’. The land is next to the Councilowned
former Telecom land, and part of
the existing Town Belt at the southern end
of Te Ahumairangi Hill. It can be accessed
from Orangi Kaupapa Road.
It was bequeathed in trust to the Council
in 1964 by James Stellin for use as a park
with a lookout in memory of his son Jim
who died in the Second World War.
The TBMP 1995 identifies the
“Telecom land, the Councilowned
reserve land in Stellin
Memorial Park, the Western
Slopes Reserve and some
privately owned land below
Stellin Memorial park on
Tinakori Hill” ( part 1, page 16)
as a proposed addition to Town
Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
This land is next to the privately
owned undeveloped land below
Stellin Memorial Park. It has high
landscape and ecological value
when considered together with the
undeveloped sections. Access and
recreational use is restricted due
to its steep topography. This land
was part of the original Town Belt.
Visually and physically connected
to existing Town Belt and former
Telecom land, together they make
up the open space of Te
Ahumairangi Hill. This land
strengthens the Town Belt’s
horseshoe shape and contributes
to the green backdrop for the
central city.
The existing tracks and informal
recreation use complement the
existing use of Te Ahumairangi
Hill and Town Belt.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The Council will not pursue No
acquisition of this land.
Retain as Recreation reserve. No
The Recreation Reserve held in
CT 21C/945, comprising
6.4719ha, and Lot 16 DP 2011,
comprising 0.0506ha and held
in CT D1/609, being Stellin
Memorial Park should be
formally added to the Town
Belt.
Yes

Site name Legal description and
area
Corner of The land is in two lots and
Bedford described as: Section 97
Street and Karori District, comprising
Orangi 0.0086ha (formerly stopped
Kaupapa road) and Pt Section 30
Road
Karori District, Pt Balance
CT 451/173, area not defined
approximately 0.715ha.
Zoned Outer Residential in
the District Plan.
Glamorgan The land is held in two
Street Play parcels. The first is described
Area and as Lot 60 DP 34918 (CT
Reserve 11C/754), comprising
0.0986ha.
Western
Slopes
Reserve
Former
Telecom land
Former
Chorus
(Telecom)
land
Rangiohua
Reserve
The larger freehold lot
comprises bush-covered
hillside described as Lot 73.
DP 33790.The transfer
history is documented in CTs
451/173 & 437/213.
Lot 1 DP 51766, CT 21A/468,
comprising 3.3061 ha.
Recreation Reserve, NZ
Gazette 1989 page 4479.
Lots 18 & 19 DP 27337, CT
E2/191, comprising 0.1362
ha. Recreation Reserve, NZ
Gazette 1989 page 4479.
(Pembroke Road Play Area).
Pt Section 30 Karori Area. It
is held as Council freehold
land, with its land transfer
history documented in CT
437/213.
This land is described as
Section 2 SO Plan 38299, CT
58B/128, comprising
18.6364ha. It is held as
Council freehold.
Section 2 SO 452140
comprising 4.7345 ha.
The land is described as
Pt Lot 11 DP 32496 (0.9290
ha).
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
Located on the corner of Bedford Street This land was not identified in Not immediately adjacent to
and Orangi Kaupapa Road, this land the TBMP 1995.
existing Town Belt, it lies to the
consists of a mown grass area with some
west and below Orangi Kaupapa
mature tress and a bush gully. It is across
Road, which visually and
the road from Stellin Memorial Park.
physically separates it from the
Town Belt. It has no visual
connection with the CBD. The top
grass area is accessible, but offers
no linkages to other open space or
Town Belt areas.
Located off Glamorgan Street, it consists
of a small flat grassy area with children’s
play equipment and a larger bush-covered
hillside that is next to the former Telecom
land.
This consists of a large bush-covered
hillside linking Edgeware Road/Cecil
Road to Pembroke Road Play Area and
connecting through to Glamorgan Street.
The land transferred to the Council under
s.50 of the Public Works Act 1981. It is
tagged for ‘better utilisation purposes’.
In 2012 the Council acquired 4.7ha from
Chorus.
Acquired by Council in 2007, this is
around 0.9290ha of regenerating native
bush adjoining the north western
boundary of Te Ahumairangi Hill.
Identified in the TBMP 1995 as
a proposed addition to the
Town Belt. (TBMP part 1,
figure 4, area 1A).
It was identified in the TBMP
1995 as a proposed addition to
the Town Belt. (TBMP part 1,
figure, 4 area 1A).
The TBRP 1998 states “The
Council affirms its existing
policy in the Town Belt
Management Plan 1995 to seek
for Town Belt purposes all the
land currently in the
ownership of ‘Telecom New
Zealand’ situated on Tinakori
Hill” (page 5).
The land is adjacent to the former
Telecom land and is contiguous
with Town Belt vegetation and
environs. Although not visually
connected to the CBD, it is visually
and physically part of Te
Ahumairangi Hill landscape. It is
accessible and provides linkages
between Te Ahumairangi Hill and
the suburb of Northland, and
potentially Otari-Wilton’s Bush.
Adjacent to the former Telecom
land, the reserve is a significant
part of the Te Ahumairangi hill
landscape, forming the westernfacing
slopes and green backdrop
to the suburbs of Northland and
Wilton. The land is accessible and
has the potential to provide
linkages between Te Ahumairangi
Hill, Wilton and Otari-Wilton’s
Bush. The vegetation, location,
and use connects with the Town
Belt.
The Council has resolved to add
this land to the Town Belt.
The Council has resolved to add
this land to the Town Belt.
The Council resolved to classify
this land as Recreation Reserve
and add to the Town Belt.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
Classify the land as reserve but No
not Town Belt.
The Recreation Reserve known
as Glamorgan Street play area,
described as Lot 60 DP 34918
comprising 0.0986ha, should
be added to the Town Belt.
The land, described as Lot 73
DP 33790, should be defined
by survey and a new CT issues
and then formally added to the
Town Belt.
The Western Slopes Reserve,
described as Lot 1 DP 51766,
CT 21A/468, comprising
3.3061 ha, and
Lots 18 &19 DP 27337, CT
E2/191, comprising 0.1362ha,
should be added to the Town
Belt land schedule.
The third area, Pt Section 30
Karori Area held as Council
freehold land CT refers to
437/213, should also be added
to the Town Belt following
survey.
The land, described as Section
2 SO Plan 38299, CT 58/128,
and comprising of 18.6364ha,
should be added to the Town
Belt schedule.
It is recommended that this
land be added to the Town Belt
schedule.
It is recommended to add this
land to the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 77 .
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Site name Legal description and
area
Upper Weld
Street
Goldies Brae
rationalisation
Land off
Wadestown
Road
Unformed
part of Grant
Road
78 .
Comprising 0.0354ha held in
CT 162/266 is described as
Lot 24 DP 1453, this land is
next to the Town Belt area
known as Goldies Brae, off
Wadestown Road.
This Council land,
comprising 0.0111ha held in
CT12D/1439, is described as
Part Lot 3 DP 33855.
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The upper part of Weld Street is located
This is land recommended to be
on the north-western corner of Te
removed from the Town Belt. It is
Ahumairangi Hill. Upper Weld Street is a
considered to be a boundary
formed road of which one side is an
encroachment on the Town Belt. Council
resolved on 4 August 1969 to have the
road formalised but the process was not
completed.
anomaly.
The strip of land concerned is still legally
Town Belt and has not been formally
removed from the Town Belt and gazetted
as legal road.
The land is now managed as part of the
Town Belt but does not have Town Belt
status. It was transferred to the Council
from the Public Trust in 1924.
Part of the land encroaches onto Goldies
Brae Road. There is also some significant
vegetation neighbouring this reserve,
which is located on legal road (Grant Road
and Frandi Street).
It is next to the Town Belt off Wadestown
Road. It is managed as Town Belt, but not
subject to the Deed 1873.
Vested in Council as
Recreation Reserve.
Unformed legal road This part of Grant Road, in Thorndon,
running between Harriet Street and St
Mary Street, is unformed legal road. The
stretch of unformed road is next to the
Town Belt (Tinakori Hill). The land is
steep and covered in vegetation and large
pine trees.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The land is near the Town Belt. It
is difficult to distinguish the legal
boundaries on the ground. It
should be considered as a Town
Belt boundary anomaly. Grant
Road is one of the few roads that
dissect the Town Belt and the
green corridor experience should
be protected and enhanced.
It is next to the Town Belt and is
perceived to be Town Belt. Its use
and landscape values complement
existing Town Belt.
This land borders existing Town
Belt land at the bottom of Te
Ahumairangi Hill. It has
consistent landscape values with
adjacent Town Belt land.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
Recommend that as resolved Yes (until land
by the Council’s Environment has Town Belt
and Recreation Committee status removed).
resolution 029/00z,
1215/40/im, dated 10 May
2000, action should be taken
to legalise as road the part of
Weld Street that encroaches on
the Town Belt.
Define road boundaries, have
the Town Belt status removed
and gazette as road.
The land next to Goldies Brae,
described as CT 162/ Lot 24 DP
1453, should be added to the
Town Belt, following survey
and road stopping.
The land, comprising 0.0111ha
and held in CT12D/1439 and
described as Part Lot 3 DP
33855, should be added to the
Town Belt.
The land bordering the Town
Belt off Grant Road, running
between Harriet Street and St
Mary Street, which is defined
as unformed legal road, should
be added to the Town Belt.
This will involve the necessary
road-stopping procedures and
consultation with the
neighbouring private property
owners.
Yes
Yes
No. This is legal
road but should
be managed
consistently with
TBMP policies.

8.2 Sector 2 Kelburn Park
8.2.1 Character and use
Kelburn Park, near Victoria University
Kelburn Park is an isolated part of the Town Belt, of a scale and character more like a suburban
park. However, the woodland in the park is an unexpected pocket of 'natural' environment close to
the city, with walking links between Kelburn, Victoria University and the CBD (Sector 2: context
map). Kelburn is a typical Wellington suburb of winding streets and picturesque houses, easily
accessible to visitors from the central city.
Kelburn Park is located between Salamanca Road and the urban motorway. It is a remnant of the
original Town Belt that ran from the Botanic Garden to Aro Valley and consists of three distinct
areas:
1. The flat open sports ground has a suburban and formal character. which includes the
sportsfield, croquet green and tennis and squash courts. A play area is at the northern end.
2. A woodland comprises mixed exotic and native species with a few large pine trees sloping
steeply down to the urban motorway.
3. A small open park area is located over the motorway (the Terrace Tunnel land owned by
the New Zealand Transport Agency). It is not part of the Town Belt but managed as part of
Kelburn Park as a dog exercise area.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 79 .

Kelburn Park is mainly used for formal recreation being an urban sport and recreation park close
to the city and university.
The City to Sea Walkway 33 passes through the Park. This walkway is part of Te Araroa, the national
walkway.
The Wellington Cable Car passes across the north corner of Kelburn Park, above the ground.
8.2.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
Much of the original Town Belt in this sector has been lost and taken for other purposes such as
private residential housing and Victoria University.
This sector includes a boundary
rationalisation along Salamanca
Road and adding the Everton Terrace
access-way to the Town Belt. The
Clifton Terrace land (former
Correspondence School site), and the
land designated for motorway
purposes (including the park area
over the Terrace Tunnel) are in this
sector but are owned by the Crown
and not covered by this management
plan.
Please refer to Table 2 at the end of
this sector for a complete list of Town
Belt land additions and removals and
boundary adjustments. It is proposed
that 0.0605 ha of land comprising
the Everton Terrace access-way be
managed as Town Belt under this
plan. (Sector 2: context map).
80 .
Kelburn Park and Victoria University.
Note most of the cabbage trees, embankment and pavilion
are on unformed legal road.
Clifton Terrace land (former Correspondence School site): This land is located on the
corner of Clifton Terrace and San Sebastian Road. The land was part of the original Town Belt,
however it was never included in the 1873 Trust Deed.
This land is subject to the ‘RFR’ provisions of the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te
Upoko O Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009, which gives mana whenua the right of first refusal if
the Crown plans to dispose of the land.
The acquisition history of this land is complex. In 1991 it was transferred to Landcorp for disposal.
The Council opposed moves to sell this land on the basis that it sought the land for Town Belt. The
sale process was stopped in 1994/95 by the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises who asked for a
full investigation into the history (acquisition and transfer) and that parties negotiate and sort out
the differences. No further progress has been made. The land is now administered by Land
Information New Zealand.
The land has a driveway to two small flat areas on different levels, which are currently used for car
parking, and a steep vegetated slope/road cut. There are some regenerating native and exotic
species and mature trees around the perimeter off the site. It has poor street frontage.
33 A 12km walkway from Bolton Street Memorial Park to Island Bay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

It is isolated from existing Town Belt land. Given its location and topographical level (below the
Botanic Garden and just above the motorway), the site by itself adds little value for strengthening
the Town Belt’s horseshoe or the visual character of the central city. The mature trees on the site do
provide local landscape value. The ecological values are low. There are no known cultural values,
but the land was part of the original Town Belt.
The land is accessible but does not offer any linkages to other reserves or Town Belt areas. The poor
street frontage and configuration of the site would restrict any recreational use and activity.
Assessment of this land using the Town Belt acquisition criteria has concluded that as a standalone
section it is not considered to be a high priority for addition to the Town Belt.
It is recommended that the Council start discussions with Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust
and Land Information New Zealand about the future use of this land.
New Zealand Transport Agency land – designated for motorway purposes: This land is
the vegetated verge on the western side of the motorway from Bolton Street to Everton Terrace.
The land is designated for ‘motorway purposes’ or for ‘better utilisation’, in a number of different
land parcels. It is Crown-owned land administered by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
This vegetation and open space is visually significant especially when entering the Central City
along the motorway. The southern end of this land visually links with the north-eastern corner of
Kelburn Park but doesn’t connect to the Town Belt. The vegetation is of similar character to that of
the Kelburn Park woodland and there is a walkway through the land to Bolton Street. There are no
known ecological or cultural values.
Although this land offers an important green link and entrance into the city, it would be a low
priority for acquisition at market value for adding to the Town Belt.
New Zealand Transport Agency land above The Terrace Tunnel: The land is a secluded
area of sloping mown grass overlooked by neighbouring houses and is next to Kelburn Park above
the Terrace Tunnel. Access is off The Terrace and by steps near Club Kelburn. The land is described
as ‘motorway reserve’ and managed as a dog exercise area.
This land was not part of the original Town Belt. It is subject to the ‘RFR’ provisions of the Port
Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko O Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009, which gives
mana whenua the right of first refusal if the Crown plans to dispose of the land.
This land is next to Kelburn Park and is perceived to be part of the park. Given its secluded location
and lower topographical level it has a lower visual importance. However it offers a significant
pedestrian link between Victoria University, Kelburn Park and the Central City. The mown grass
and seating area is used for passive recreation.
The Council identifies this land as an important piece of accessible open space and the preference
is to retain the status quo regarding ownership and management.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.2.2.1 Redefine by survey the portion of Salamanca Road from McKenzie Terrace to the Cable
Car not required for future road widening so the road and Town Belt boundaries follow the
future road alignment. This boundary rationalisation will involve taking land into the
Town Belt and in some cases taking land out.
8.2.2.2 Formally add the access-way off Everton Terrace to the Town Belt.
8.2.2.3 The Council will initiate discussions with the Crown and Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust over the future ownership, status and use of the Clifton Terrace Land, and the New
Zealand Transport Agency land – designated for motorway purposes.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 81 .

8.2.3 Landscape and ecological management
Kelburn Park is isolated from other parts of the Town Belt. The Botanic Garden close by provides
some ecological connectivity (Sector 2: landscape and existing vegetation map).
The woodland area and open park above the motorway have the potential to be better integrated
and will be considered together.
The woodland area is visually significant given its closeness to the CBD and provides easily
accessible pedestrian links between Victoria University and the CBD. The area is a sheltered eastfacing
slope with a complementary character to the mixed deciduous/native woodland around
Everton Terrace further north. Exotic species are primarily weedy species such as wattle and
sycamore.
In the past 15 years vegetation management has involved the removal of several large pine trees
above the motorway with limited removal of other exotic trees. There has been limited replanting
of natives primarily by two restoration groups:
• Onslow Gully Group is working above Everton Terrace and focusing on replacing exotic
trees with natives, particularly species attractive to native birds.
• Conservation Biology Group from Victoria University is planting natives in the area
between the Squash Club and the dog exercise area.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.2.3.1 Maintain the mixed species character of the woodland aiming for a gradual removal of
exotic weed species and a return to podocarp and broadleaf forest.
8.2.3.2 Retain and enhance the village green character of the sportsfield and croquet club.
8.2.3.3 Retain the existing character of amenity plantings and pohutukawa planting around the
sports grounds.
8.2.3.4 Protect and manage the heritage cabbage trees between the sportsfield and Salamanca
Road.
8.2.4 Recreation
The upper sports ground area has been developed for a range of mainly formal recreation facilities
since 1908 (Sector 2: current uses maps). These include natural turf sportsfields used for summer
and winter sport. In addition there are the following clubs:
• Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club leases the clubhouse and uses the croquet greens
under an arrangement where the Council maintains the greens and they pay an annual fee.
• Kelburn Park Sports Club Association is made up of Victoria University football and
cricket clubs and Hunters Rugby League club.
• Club Kelburn (formally NZ Squash Inc.) is a major squash facility in Wellington. It is
made up of 10 courts, a fitness club (gym) and a shop.
• Victoria University of Wellington (Tennis Club) leases clubrooms and four outdoor
courts.
There is also a local playground due for renewal in 2017/2018. Walking tracks and a fitness trail
pass through the woodland area, some of these are used for pedestrian access down to the city.
82 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

There is a close association between Victoria University and the park. Several of the sports
facilities are used by university students and considerable foot traffic is generated between the
Weir House hall of residence, the Cable Car and the university.
The area is poorly accessed with large hedges and gates preventing access to the park. Pedestrian
access from the university is poor with no crossing nearby.
The New Zealand Transport Agency land above The Terrace, used as a dog exercise area, has
recently been upgraded by NZTA as part of the Terrace Tunnel upgrade. This has a seating area and
lookout at the northern end.
Policies – Recreation
8.2.4.1 Open up the park frontage onto Salamanca Road.
8.2.4.2 Improve access to and information about the local park area above the motorway.
8.2.4.3 Improve walking links between Kelburn Park and the CBD, including signs.
8.2.4.4 Review long-term uses for the caretaker’s house.
8.2.5 Encroachments
There are no major access encroachments in this sector.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 83 .

Northland
Glenmo re St
North Tce
Upland Rd
Central Tce
Thorndon
Fairlie Tce
Fairlie Tce
Glasgow St
Victoria University
Rawhiti Tce
Kelb urn Pde
Sector 2 - Kelburn Park
Context
Kelb urn
Victoria University
Gladsto ne Tce
Salamanca Rd
Waiteata Rd
Mckenzie Tce
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
84 .
Wellington Botanic
Garden
Victoria University
Salmo nt Pl
Cable Car - CBD to
Botanic Garden
Clermont Tce
Mo unt St
Maurice Tce
Wesley Rd
Ghuznee St
Karo Drive
Talavera Tce
Bolton St
Onslow Tce
Wellington Urban Moto rway
Macdonald Cres
San Sebastian Rd
Clifton Tce
Wellington Urban Moto rway
Percival St
The Terrace
Allenby Tce
Mount Street Cemetery
Dixo n St
Everton Tce
Kumutoto Lane
Church St
Terrace Garden s
Te Aro
Aurora Tce
Wellington Urban Moto rway
Willis St
Feltex Lane
Rosina Fell Lane
Tramway Ave
Boulcott St
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards (1847)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Athol Cres
O'Reily Ave
Boulcott St
Wellington Central
Gilmer Tce
Shell Lan e
Dalmuir Lane
Clifton Terrace
Boulcott St
Ellers Ave
Victoria St
Lambton Quay
Plimmers Steps
Edward St
Wood ward St
Mercer St
Bond St
St Hill St
Dixo n St
Farmers Lan e
Land managed as Town Belt
Brand on St
Panama St
Lombard St
Manners St
Featherston St
Hunter St
Cuba St
Stout St
Waring Taylor St
Johnston St
Grey St
Willeston St
Customhouse Quay
Chews Lan e
Wakefield St
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
NZTA land
Cornhill St
0 50 100 200
metres
scale 1:5,000
¯
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
City access points
City to Sea Walkway

Kelburn Pde
Salamanca Rd
Sector 2 - Kelburn Park
Current uses
Kelburn
Play Area
Car park
Victoria University
Tennis Club
Waiteata Rd
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Kelburn Park
Sports Club Association
Sportsfield
Croquet Lawn
Kelburn Municipal
Croquet Club
Club Kelburn
Mckenzie Tce
Mount St
Parks House
Conservation Biology
Group restoration
Everton Tce
Onslow Tce
Kelburn Park
Fountain
!(
The Terrace
Kelburn Gully
Group restoration
Wellington Urban Motorway
Clifton Tce
Wellington Urban Motorway
Main access points
!( Other access points
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Car parks
Neighbourhood park
WCC leases
Dog exercise areas
Boulcott St
Allenby Tce
Percival St
0 20 40 80
metres
scale 1:2,200
¯
Sport and Recreation park
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 85 .

Sector 2 - Kelburn Park
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
86 .
Line of historic
cabbage trees
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Conifer dominant - 0.1ha
Exotic forest - 2.6ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland - 0.1ha
Grassland - 2.9ha
0 20 40 80
metres
scale 1:2,200
¯
Horticultural (amenity) plantings - 0.1ha
Parkland/arboretum - 0.1ha

Vegetation management:
Retain and enhance
heritage cabbage trees along
Salamanca Road frontage
Landscape:
Redesign Kelburn Park
frontage to Salamanca
Road and open up park
frontage
Landscape:
Retain sportsfield
and croquet lawn as
open space
Town Belt addition:
Review the feasibility
of stopping part of the
unformed part of Salamanca
Road not used for road widening
and adding to Town Belt
Sector 2 - Kelburn Park
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Kumutoto Stream
Assess future use of
parks house and if
no use remove
Vegetation management:
Gradual removal of exotic
weed species and restore
to native forest
Open Streams
0 20 40 80
metres
scale 1:2,200
¯
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed addition
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 87 .

Table 2: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisation – Kelburn Park sector
Site name Legal description
and area
Salamanca This is the portion of
Road
Salamanca Road, from
boundaries McKenzie Terrace to
the Cable Car.
Access-way
off Everton
Terrace
Former
Correspondence
School site,
Clifton Terrace
Land held for
motorway
purposes,
Western
Motorway
edge
88 .
The land is described as
an access-way,
comprising 0.0605ha,
NZ Gazette 1928 page
700.
This site is owned by
the Crown and
administered by Land
Information New
Zealand.
It is included in the Port
Nicholson Block Claims
Settlement Act 2009
land schedule and the
PNBST has the first
right of refusal if the
land is declared
surplus.
The legal description of
this area is City of
Wellington, Section 1 on
survey office plan 30711
being land in CT
39D/487.
It is zoned Open Space
B in the Council’s
District Plan.
Designated for
‘motorway’ purposes or
for ‘better utilisation’,
in a number of different
land parcels.
It is Crown-owned land
administered by the
New Zealand Transport
Agency.
Description, location, current
use
The legal road boundaries of
Salamanca Road, between McKenzie
Terrace and the Cable Car, do not
follow the actual road carriageway.
In parts, particularly alongside the
university tennis courts, the legal
road encroaches onto the tennis
courts and Kelburn Park.
Further along, near the Cable Car,
the actual road carriageway is on
Town Belt.
This is a public access-way, linking
Kelburn Park and Everton Terrace.
It was original Town Belt.
Located on the corner of Clifton
Terrace and San Sebastian Road, the
site consists of a driveway up to a
small flat area and a steep vegetated
slope/road cut. There are some
regenerating native and exotic
species and mature trees around the
perimeter off the site. Street frontage
is poor.
There is considerable acquisition
history with this land. In 1991 it was
transferred to Landcorp for disposal.
The Council opposed moves to sell
this land on the basis that it sought
the land for Town Belt. The sale
process was stopped in 1994/95 by
the Minister of State-Owned
Enterprises who asked for a full
investigation into the history
(acquisition and transfer) and that
parties negotiate and sort out the
differences.
This is vegetated verge along the
western motorway edge from Bolton
Street to Everton Terrace.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria assessment Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The Town Belt Management This strip of land is next to and part The portion of Salamanca No. This is legal
Plan (TBMP) states: “The of the Kelburn Park precinct. Kelburn Road, from McKenzie road but should
Council shall have a Bill
Park would be significantly altered if Terrace to the Cable Car, be managed
introduced to Parliament to this strip of land was developed and should be redefined by consistently with
regularise the legal status and used for another purpose. The land survey when future road TBMP policies.
unite the lands managed as includes part of the university tennis widening takes place.
Town Belt ...” (part 1, page 16). courts, croquet greens and sportsfield
of Kelburn Park. The historic row of
cabbage trees along the park
boundary are on legal road. The land
appears to be part of the Town Belt.
The TBMP and TBRP identified
the Clifton Terrace land as a
significant area of open space
that should be included as Town
Belt land.
The TBRP considered a range of
options and outlined two:
1. Seek ownership for Town Belt
purposes, subject to consultation
with Māori.
2. Decide that the land is not
particularly suitable for Town
Belt purposes.
The Policy identified option 1.
It was identified in the TBMP
1995, as a potential addition to
the Town Belt.
This access-way and entrance into
Kelburn Park, provides an important
link from the university and Kelburn
Park to the city. It has high recreation
values, but low landscape or
ecological values. It was part of
original Town Belt.
The site is isolated from the existing
Town Belt. Given its location and
topographical level (below the
Botanic Garden and just above the
motorway), the site by itself adds
little value in strengthening the Town
Belt’s horseshoe or the visual
character of the central city. The
mature trees on the site do provide
local landscape value. The ecological
values are low. There are no known
cultural values, but the land is
original Town Belt.
The land is accessible, but does not
offer any linkages to other reserve or
Town Belt areas. The poor street
frontage and configuration of the site
would restrict any recreational use
and activity.
This edge of vegetation and open
space is visually significant, especially
when entering the central city along
the motorway. The southern end of
this land visually links with the
north-eastern corner of Kelburn
Park. It strengthens the green
backdrop of the Town Belt where the
original continuity of the Town Belt
has been lost.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The access-way should be
added to the Town Belt.
The encroachment off
Everton Terrace will need to
be resolved as part of this
work.
The Council should have
further discussions with the
Crown and PNBST regarding
this land.
This land as a standalone
section is not considered to
be a high priority Town Belt
addition at market value.
The Council should not
pursue acquisition of this
land.
Yes
No
No

Site name Legal description
and area
Open space
land above
the Terrace
Tunnel
The land is described as
motorway reserve.
This is Crown-owned
land and administered
by the New Zealand
Transport Agency.
It is zoned Inner
Residential in the
Council’s District Plan.
Included in the PNBST
Act 2009.
Description, location, current
use
This land above the Terrace Tunnel
is a secluded area of sloping mown
grass overlooked by neighbouring
houses. It is next to Kelburn Park
and access is from The Terrace.
It was not part of the original Town
Belt.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria assessment Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
It was identified in the TBMP
1995 as a potential addition to
the Town belt.
The plan identifies this area,
described as 3c, (figure 2, page
5) as significant open space in a
locality where the original
continuity of the Town Belt has
been lost.
Policy 2 on page 8 states:
The Council shall continue to
maintain and manage the land
above the motorway tunnel as
part of Kelburn Park and
negotiate for its addition to the
Town Belt.
The land borders Kelburn Park and is
perceived to be part of the park.
Given its secluded location and lower
topographical level it has a lower
visual importance. However it offers
a significant pedestrian link between
Victoria University, Kelburn Park and
the central city. The mown grass and
seating area is used for passive
recreation.
The Council should have
further discussions with the
New Zealand Transport
Agency over future
management of this land.
No, but
management of
this land will be
consistent with
the objective
and policies of
the TBMP.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 89 .

8.3 Sector 3 Aro Valley/Polhill Gully
8.3.1 Character and use
90
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Part of Sector 3,
adjacent to Aro
Street.
Note the
Central All Breeds
Dog Training
School site
in the middle of
the photo
This sector is located at the head of the Aro Valley. It is made up of two wedges of Town Belt land
on each side of Aro Street (Sector 3: context map).
Only a small part of the original Town Belt still exists here. The green space in Aro Valley appears
bigger because of the neighbouring reserves, including George Denton Park and Polhill Gully
Recreation Reserve. Collectively they make up the Waimapihi Stream catchment and stretch up
above Holloway Road to the Sanctuary fence line and the Outer Green Belt. These reserves contain
stands of conifers, regenerating native vegetation and exotic scrub.
This part of the Town Belt is steep and densely vegetated. A large stand of hazardous trees above
houses on Entrance and Norway streets was removed in 1998 and the area was replanted with
natives (Sector 3: landscape and existing vegetation).
This area is used for informal recreation. There are some tracks that link to the Outer Green Belt
and Brooklyn.
8.3.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
The original Town Belt in this sector was continuous from Tanera Park around to Kelburn Park.
Considerable portions have been alienated for residential development, roads and educational
purposes such as Te Aro School and Victoria University.
The proposed additions to the Town Belt in this sector include part of Polhill Gully Recreation
Reserve, Semeloff Terrace and 20 Norway Street Reserve (Sector 3: context map). This totals
12.6875ha. This land is covered under this management plan.

Please refer to Table 3 at the end of this sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions,
removals and boundary rationalisations.
Polhill Gully Recreation Reserve: The front part of Polhill Gully Recreation Reserve (northwest
of Durham Street) borders the existing wedge of Town Belt located on the southern corner of
Aro Street and Holloway Road. This addition will increase the size of the Town Belt in this area,
strengthening its continuity and providing a green backdrop to Aro Valley. This addition also
accommodates an important track known as the ‘Transient’, which links the city with the Outer
Green Belt and the Sanctuary fence line. The area forms part of the original Town Belt awarded to
Te Aro Māori as part of the 1847 McCleverty Awards.
The small area of Pleasure Ground (1406sq m) in Semeloff Terrace and Recreation Reserve
(4027sq m) in Norway Street border the Polhill Gully Recreation Reserve.
The reserves that are collectively part of the Waimapihi Stream Catchment and make up the open
space above Holloway Road, including George Denton Park have been assessed. The assessment
found that although these reserves have consistent recreation and landscape values to that of the
neighbouring Town Belt, they are located behind and above the first line of hills (Durham Street
ridge), and are visually outside the Town Belt’s horseshoe catchment. It is proposed that these
reserves, except for the front section of Polhill Gully reserve, will not be added to the Town Belt but
will be covered under the Outer Green Belt Management Plan when it is next reviewed.
Part of the Te Aro School land – Abel Smith St: This land is owned by the Crown and
managed by the Ministry of Education. It is included in the Deed of Settlement First Right of
Refusal Land Schedule and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust has the first right of refusal
if the land is declared surplus.
It is situated at the top of Abel Smith Street. Te Aro School uses about one third of the land. The
rest of the land is made up of a 6000sq m steep gully bounded on the east by the school and on the
west by the rear of properties on Devon Street. This steep gully section is assessed below.
The vegetation is mixed exotic trees, including sycamore and large pines, with an understory of
natives and exotic shrubs.
Although this land was part of the original Town Belt Deed and taken out by the Crown in 1931 for
education purposes, it is now isolated from any existing Town Belt lands. The original Town Belt
lands that connected this land have now been extensively developed and used for other purposes,
such as residential development and education.
The steep gully is small in scale, and its location, aspect and accessibility add little value in
strengthening the Town Belt’s continuity and horseshoe shape. It does provide some local
landscape value to Aro Street. The recreational and ecological values are low.
From the above assessment, the Council now considers this land to be low priority for addition into
the Town Belt.
It is recommended that the Council has discussions with Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust
and the Crown regarding this land.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.3.2.1 Formally add the following areas to Town Belt:
a. Part of Polhill Gully Reserve
b. Semeloff Terrace Reserve
c. 20 Norway Street
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 91

8.3.2.2 Formally remove from the Town Belt the land at Boyd Wilson Strip.
8.3.2.3 The Council will initiate discussions with the Crown and Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust over the future ownership, status and use of the steep gully that is part of the Te Aro
School land.
8.3.3 Landscape and ecological management
The removal of the large stand of trees above Norway Street in 1998 was the first major pine
removal project following implementation of the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan. The area was
replanted with native plants and some limited weed management has taken place. Possum control
is ongoing.
The long-term plan is to replace the conifers with native forest. However, the removal of these trees
is a low priority so any replacement over the next 10 years will occur only if there are major tree
failures.
Any work and ongoing revegetation will be consistent with the management of the adjacent reserve
areas of the Waimapihi Stream Catchment and George Denton Park. This will improve ecological
connections between Aro Valley and the Outer Green Belt and Karori Sanctuary.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.3.3.1 Restore all but the mown road edges of the Town Belt into podocarp and broadleaf forest.
8.3.3.2 Manage the forest consistently with George Denton Park and the Waimapihi Stream
Catchment.
8.3.3.3 Maintain the open mown grass areas adjacent to Aro Street.
8.3.3.4 Protect and maintain the natural unbuilt character of this sector.
8.3.4 Recreation
The area is predominately natural with a series of tracks from Aro Street through the area linking
with tracks to Brooklyn, the Sanctuary fenceline track and the Outer Green Belt (Sector 3: Current
uses map). These tracks are dual use and were built by volunteers primarily for mountain biking.
There is one lease in the sector:
• The Central All Breeds Dog Training School has a ground lease with the Council for
2000sq m of Town Belt land until 2017. There is informal vehicle access to the site from
Holloway Road through land owned by Victoria University.
There are three community groups working in this sector:
Aro Valley project – planting on town Belt and adjacent reserve land at the north-western end of
Aro Valley and Polhill
Rollercoaster group – who are also planting around Polhill
Waimapihi Trust – enhancing native forest cover in the Waimapihi Catchment, including
Polhill, and controlling pest animals.
92
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Policies – Recreation
8.3.4.1 There should be no increase in the footprint of the existing leased facility used by the
Central All Breeds Dog Training School.
8.3.4.2 In the event of the existing use of the leased facility ceasing, then the site will be
redeveloped for outdoor recreation use.
8.3.4.3 The existing vacant building/pavilion/toilet will be assessed for removal.
8.3.4.4 The Council will investigate opportunities for formal access from Holloway Road to the
leased facility.
8.3.5 Encroachments
There are no known major encroachments in this sector.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 93

Karori
Birdwood St
Waiapu Rd
Highbury Cres
Chaytor St
Raroa Cres
Mo ana Rd
Highbury Rd
Disley St
Broomhill Rd
Putnam St
Karori Tunnel
Highbury
Koromiko Rd
Northland
Raroa Rd
Holloway Rd
Ashton Fitchett Dr
Northland Rd
Cluny Ave
Cluny Ave
Ninian St
The Rigi
Norna Cres
Mt Pleasant Rd
Carey St
Zetland St
Glenmo re St
The Rigi
Upland Rd
Fairview Cres
Plun ket St
Mertoun Tce
Holloway Rd
Hain es Tce
Thule St
Raroa Rd
Apuka St
Sector 3 - Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Context
Mitchell St
Irvine St
Karepa St
Boundary Rd
Norway St
Brooklyn
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
94
Zealandia
Holloway Road/
Brosnahan Terrace
Reserve
Waimapihi Reserve
Polhill Gully
20 Norway Street
Reserve
Entrance St
Mariri Rd
Kowhai Rd
Kelb urn
St Michaels Cres
Hadfield Tce
Mo rtimer Tce
Laura Ave
Mo rtimer Tce
Tanera Cres
Penn Way
Helen St
Glen Rd
Durham St
Ohiro Rd
Grove Rd
Ngaio Rd
Adams Tce
Rimu Rd
Victoria University
Mo rtimer Tce
Bretby Cres
Tanera Cres
Landcross St
Durham Cres
Brooklyn Tce
Springfield Tce
Epuni St
North Tce
Semeloff Terrace
Reserve
Polhill Gully
Recreation Reserve
Aro St
Sector 4
Brooklyn Hills
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards (1847)
Devon St
Upland Rd
Central Tce
46 Devon
Street
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Fairlie Tce
Alameda Tce
Glasgow St
Victoria University
Rawhiti Tce
St John St
Maarama Cres
Brooklyn Rd
Kelb urn Pde
Boston Tce
Bell Rd
Salamanca Rd
Victoria University
Aro St
Land managed as Town Belt
Wellington Central
The Terrace
Bidwill St
Waiteata Rd
Te Aro
Abel Smith St
Palmer St
Buller St
Nairn St
Willis St
Maurice Tce
Abel Smith Street
land
Karo Drive
Webb St
Stau nto n Ave
Bell Rd
¯
Thompson St
Mt Cook
Central
Land protected Park by Town Belt Deed
Anderson Tce
0 85 170 340
metres
scale 1:8,000
Sector 2
Kelburn Park
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
Ecological connectivity
City to Sea Walkway
Boyd Wilson
Strip
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed

Norna Cres
Mo ana Rd
Highbury Rd
Holloway Rd
Ninian St
Mt Pleasant Rd
Carey St
Harrold St
Zetland St
Waimapihi Trust
restoration project
Holloway Rd
Hain es Tce
Mertoun Tce
Raroa Rd
Thule St
Sector 3 - Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Current uses
Irvine St
Entrance St
Norway St
Central All Breeds
Dog Training School
Karepa St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Hadfield Tce
Mo rtimer Tce
Aro Valley
War Memorial
Durham St
Aro Valley
planting project
Mo rtimer Tce
Adams Tce
Electricity pylons with
associated access track
Rollercoaster
planting project
!(
Mo rtimer Tce
Central Tce
Aro St
Durham Cres
Kelb urn Pde
Springfield Tce
Landcross St
Epuni St
¯
Main access points
!( Other access points
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Ohiro Rd
Dog exercise areas
0 40 80 160
metres
scale 1:4,000
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 95

Sector 3 - Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
96
Town Belt contiguous with
reserve land linking Town Belt
and Outer Green Belt
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Native forest - 8.7ha
Prominent ridgeline
forming backdrop to
Aro Valley
Native scrub/shrubland - 2.2ha
0 40 80 160
metres
scale 1:4,000
¯
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 4.1ha
Parkland/arboretum - 0.3ha
Revegetation - 0.4ha
Conifer dominant - 3.7ha
Grassland - 0.4ha

Vegetation management:
Maintain open grass
areas adjacent to Aro
Street
Vegetation Management:
management:
Long Long-term term removal of
conifers and restoration
to native forest
Vegetation management:
Maintain pest and weed
control over Town Belt and
adjust where required
Sector 3 - Aro Valley / Polhill Gully
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Landscape:
Maintain natural unbuilt
character of the sector
Open streams
0 40 80 160
metres
scale 1:4,000
¯
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 97

Table 3: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisations – Aro Valley sector
Site name Legal description
and area
Part of Polhill Section 1153 Town
Gully Reserve OF Wellington,
part CT676/81
11.7410ha. Declared
Recreation Reserve,
subject to the
Reserves Act 1977,
NZ Gazette 1989.
Part of Polhill
Gully Reserve
George
Denton Park
Waimapihi
Reserve
Panorama
Heights
Reserve
Brosnahan
Reserves
Semeloff
Terrace
Reserve
98 .
Part Subdivision 3
Block XVA Polhill
Gully Native
Reserve,
CT362/202
0.4075ha
Declared Recreation
Reserve, subject to
the Reserves Act
1977, NZ Gazette
1995 p4478
Section 30 Town of
Wellington.
Recreation Reserve.
part CT676/81
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria assessment Recommend that; Land covered
by this TBMP
The reserve area is the small valley to the The TBMP 1995 identified this The land borders the Town Belt. Located The land should be added Yes
west of Durham Street. It borders the land as potential additions. on the corner of Aro Street and Holloway to the Town Belt.
existing part of the Town Belt on the corner
Road, it strengthens the continuity of the
of Aro Street and Holloway Road. It
Town Belt and is already perceived to be
accommodates the recreation track known
Town Belt land. The site provides a green
as the Transient, which links through to the
backdrop to Aro Valley. The access track
Karori Sanctuary fenceline track. The
provides a significant and only link
vegetation is a mix of native and exotics
between Town Belt and the Outer Green
and mature conifers.
Belt. The vegetation is consistent with
Transmission line transverses the land.
neighbouring Town Belt lands. Original
Town Belt.
This is the steep gully of the Waimapihi
Stream catchment sloping down towards
Holloway Road. It lies on the western side
of the Durham Street ridge.
Recreation Reserve. This land comprises of the east facing
slopes of the Waimapihi Stream catchment,
immediately below Karori Sanctuary down
to Holloway Road.
Recreation Reserve. This is a small piece of Reserve land at the
end of Holloway Road, and surrounded by
Polhill Gully Reserve Part B.
Recreation Reserve
and local purpose
reserve.
Pleasure ground
under Public Works
Act (PWA).
Described as Lots 1
& 2, DP 2322,
comprising
0.1406ha. Declared
Recreation Reserve,
subject to the
Reserves Act 1977,
NZ Gazette 1989
page 4483.
This land comprises the upper north facing
slopes of the Waimapihi Stream
Catchment. It is above Polhill Gully
Reserve Part B and George Denton Park.
These reserves comprise the undeveloped
land immediately above the residential
houses on the western side of Holloway
Road. They are adjacent to and below
George Denton Park.
Two parcels of land border the Town belt
on Semeloff Terrace, located off Adams
Terrace.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as potential additions.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as a potential addition.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as a potential addition.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as a potential addition.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as potential additions.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
It is appropriate to discuss these areas
together as they all are next to and part of
the Waimapihi Stream catchment. The
areas are not immediately adjacent to the
Town Belt but border Polhill Gully Reserve
part A, in the north-eastern corner. These
areas lie behind the Durham Street/Aro
Valley ridge and are not visually part of
the Town Belt’s horseshoe. They border
the Sanctuary boundary fence along the
western boundary and therefore the
topographic levels are consistent. The land
is predominately regenerating native
forest. There is a network of recreation
tracks linking the Outer Green Belt. This
land was not part of the originally
envisaged Town Belt land.
N/A These two lots are connected to the
existing Town belt, both visually and
physically. The land would be perceived to
be already part of the Town Belt given its
consistent open space character. This land
is not original Town Belt.
Consider this land for
inclusion to the Outer
Green Belt.
Consider this land for
inclusion in the OGB.
Consider this land for
inclusion in the Outer
Green Belt.
Consider this land for
inclusion in the Outer
Green Belt.
Consider this land for
inclusion in the Outer
Green Belt.
This land should added to
the Town Belt.
No
No
No
No
No
Yes

Site name Legal description
and area
Raroa
Freehold, Scenic
Reserve Reserve, Pleasure
Ground under the
PWA.
20 Norway
Street
Privately
owned gully
below
Hadfield
Grove
Ministry of
Education
land, Abel
Smith Street
Lots 12, 13, 14 and 15
DP 995, CT 425/168,
comprising 0.4027ha
Held as Recreation
Reserve subject to
the Reserves Act
1977 NZ Gazette
1995 page 4478.
Privately owned
gully.
It is described as Pt
Town Belt, Town of
Wellington,
comprising 0.4176ha
and sec 1226, Town of
Wellington,
comprising 0.4221ha.
The land was included
in the Town Belt Deed
conveyed to the
Council in terms of the
1873 deed. However,
in 1931, the Crown
under Act of
Parliament took the
land for educational
purposes.
It is zoned part
Outer Residential
and part Open Space
B.
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria assessment Recommend that; Land covered
by this TBMP
This is Council-owned land made up of a The TBMP 1995 identified this This land does not connect to the existing These lands should remain No
number of individual parcels. It is bush- land as potential additions. Town Belt and given its steep topography as Recreation Reserve and
covered reserve land along and below the
and aspect it has little visual connection not be added to the Town
east side of Raroa Road.
with the Town Belt’s horseshoe shape. It
offers some landscape value to local
residents, but not significant to enhance
the visual character of Aro Street/CBD. It
has limited recreational values. This land
was not part of the originally envisaged
Town Belt.
Belt.
This is Council-owned reserve land that is
covered in regenerating bush in the gully
below Norway Street. It is near existing
Town Belt.
This land is made up of the privately owned
undeveloped gully being the residential
properties in Hadfield Terrace.
This land is owned by the Crown and used
by the Ministry of Education.
It is included in the Port Nicholson Block
Claims Settlement Act 2009 and the Trust
has the first right of refusal if the land is
declared surplus.
It is situated at the top of Abel Smith
Street. Te Aro School uses about one third
of the land.
The rest of the land is made up of a 6000sq
m steep gully bounded on the east by Te
Aro School and on the west by the rear of
properties on Devon Street.
There is a track linking the school, Boyd
Wilson Field and Devon St.
The vegetation is mixed exotic trees,
including sycamore and large pines, with
an understory of natives and exotic shrubs.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as potential additions.
The TBMP 1995 identified this
land as potential additions.
The TBRP 1998 policy options
for this land include:
Option 1. Seek the return to
Town Belt status of the area not
occupied by Te Aro School. Seek
agreement for the return of the
school land when the school
activity ceases.
Option2: Seek all of the land for
Town Belt purposes. Lease back
to the school the area currently
occupied by the school for
peppercorn rental.
There is no doubt that the area
not occupied by the school
should be sought by the Council
for return to Town belt status.
The land is heavily vegetated
and significantly enhances the
setting and enjoyment of
surrounding residents.
This land does immediately adjoin existing
Town Belt land and is perceived to already
be Town belt.
Although offering local landscape values
and limited recreational potential, it
makes operational logic to incorporate this
land into the Town Belt.
This land lies below the residential
properties in Hadfield Terrace and
Kelburn Parade. Although bordering
existing Town belt, they provide only local
landscape value and have little
significance in enhancing the continuity of
the Town Belt’s horseshoe. The
recreational values are limited and they
are not part of the originally envisaged
Town Belt.
This land is very isolated from any existing
Town Belt lands. Its small scale, location,
and aspect add little value in
strengthening the Town Belt’s continuity
and horseshoe shape. It does provide
some local landscape value to Aro Street.
It has low recreational and ecological
values. It was included in the Town Belt
Deed 1873 but taken out by the Crown in
1931 for educational purposes.
This land should be added
to the Town Belt.
The Council will not
pursue acquisitions of
these lands.
Council will initiate
discussions with PNSBT
over the future of this
land. Low priority for
Council at market value.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 99 .
Yes
No
No

Site name Legal description Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria assessment Recommend that; Land covered
and area
by this TBMP
46 Devon This land is described This land is adjacent to Boyd Wilson Field
This land is similar to the undeveloped Recommend that this land No
Street (part as Pt Lot 3 DP5759 ct and the Te Aro School land discussed
gully of the Te Aro School land, discussed remain in joint ownership.
Council and 433/88, comprising above. It has a narrow street frontage off
above. It is very isolated from existing
Ministry of 906sq m. It is held as Devon Street. It includes the track that
Town Belt land and contributes little value
Education) fee simple land and is links Devon St through to Body Wilson
in strengthening the Town Belt’s
owned by the Council Field.
continuity. This land was not included in
and the Crown
(Education) in half
shares as tenants in
common. This
arrangement was
authorised by the 1931
Wellington City
Empowering Act,
schedule 5.
the Trust Deed but was original Town Belt.
Boyd Wilson This land is
The TBMP 1995 refers to this
This land should be Yes
Reserve strip described as Pt
land stating:
removed from the Town
(currently section 435 Town of
A small strip of land was added
Belt.
Town Belt) Wellington SO19119
to the Town Belt in 1931 to
comprising
provide pedestrian access
0.0234ha. This land
[from] The Terrace to the newly
has existing Town
created Boyd Wilson
Belt status.
sportsfield, which was then
Town Belt.
In 1949 the Boyd Wilson fields
was alienated from Town Belt
and granted to Victoria
University in exchange for
other land. The access strip,
although legally Town Belt is
an anomaly in terms of Town
Belt management because of its
isolation.
100 .
The TBRP states:
The access strip to the Boyd
Wilson fields shall be removed
from Town Belt status ... and
either kept as a public accessway
or sold to the University or
Te Aro School.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

8.4 Sector 4 Brooklyn Hills
Town Belt on the Brooklyn Hills between Mount Cook and Brooklyn
8.4.1 Character and use
This sector extends around the city-facing slopes below Brooklyn, from Mortimer Terrace to
Hutchison Road, and is traversed by Brooklyn Road, Ohiro Road and Bidwell Street (Sector 4:
context map). Three adjacent undeveloped areas are also included, which the Council intends to
add to and manage as part of the Town Belt.
The Brooklyn Hills area is made up of a complex series of gullies and spurs, which have been
levelled in several places to form sports grounds. The hills are a secondary but important backdrop
to the city. Continuity of vegetation is needed to link the area visually.
This area is used for both formal and informal recreation and has many entry points from
suburban streets.
1. Tanera Park consists of a gully and spur system sloping down from the western end of
Brooklyn to Aro Valley with the upper level developed into a series of platforms for sporting
activities. There is a community garden at the city end and a dog exercise area.
2. Central Park is a 13ha community park made up of two major ridges in a north-south
direction divided by the steep gully of the Moturua Stream. The existing park vegetation
includes mature mixed conifer stands, eucalyptus, native regeneration, and some exotic
shrubs and trees, which provide seasonal interest. There is a community playground and
numerous tracks.
3. Brooklyn Hills, from Nairn Street Park to Hutchison Road, is an area made up of a series
of spurs and gullies with alternating open ground and vegetation. The Hutchison Road pine
plantation is a landmark seen from much of Newtown and the CBD.
4. Prince of Wales Park contains two sportsfields and the Wellington Harriers Club
Building.
There is one small reservoir at Bell Road, with a much larger one proposed for the spur above
Prince of Wales Park (see section 8.4.3).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 101 .

8.4.2 Land additions and boundary rationalisation
The proposed additions to the Town Belt in this sector include the Epuni Street lands, the closed
road of Tanera Crescent and the Council owned gully between Coolidge and Connaught Terrace
(Sector 4: context map). This totals 2.0054 ha. These lands are covered under this management
plan.
Please refer to Table 4 at the back of this sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions and
removals and boundary adjustments.
Epuni Street lands - 67 and 67A Epuni St: The area of undeveloped land on the east side of
Epuni Street was acquired by the Council in 1985 for housing purposes through a land exchange
with the then Wellington Hospital Board. This land strengthens the visual character of the Town
Belt as it adjoins and is perceived to be part of the Park. The back portion of this land includes part
of the mown grass area and current dog exercise area of Ohiro Park. It also provides an important
pedestrian link between Aro Valley, via Ohiro and Central Parks through to the Mount Cook and
Brooklyn communities. This land was not part of the Original Town Belt but given its location and
current use it is recommended to be added to the Town Belt.
Gully between Coolidge and Connaught Terrace: This comprises the bush valley area
adjacent to Town Belt running between Coolidge St and Connaught Tec. This is Council owned
recreation reserve. The reserve was vested in the Council as a reserve contribution when the larger
gully area was subdivided in 1994. The land adjoins existing Town Belt, complements the existing
Town Belt landscape in this locality and is currently zoned open space C in the Council’s District
Plan. It is recommended to add this land to the Town Belt.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.4.2.1 To formally add the following areas to Town Belt;
• 67 and 67 A Epuni St
102 .
• the closed road section of Tanera Crescent
• the reserve land between Coolidge Street and Connaught Terrace
8.4.2.2 To formally remove from the Town Belt the following areas:
• area of Washington Avenue and Brooklyn Road, Lot 5 and 6 DP 10508
• corner of Nairn Street and Brooklyn Road (2 small sections)
• area off Connaught Terrace
8.4.3 Landscape and ecological management
The vegetation patterns are complex (Sector 4: landscape and existing vegetation map). Prominent
stands of pines and other conifers occur throughout, including a plantation above Hutchison Road.
These are often associated with eucalypts. Mixed woodland in Central Park includes pines,
eucalypts, deciduous trees such as elms, limes and a native understory. Amenity plantings occur in
Central Park and around some of the sports grounds. Native vegetation is regenerating in gullies or
as an understory beneath pines.
There has been landscape change over the past 15 years with the removal of several prominent pine
stands including:
• Central Park (above Renouf Tennis Centre)
• Bell Road Spur above Brooklyn Road
• between Ohiro Road and Tanera Park
• above Epuni Street.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

•
Priorities for future pine removal include the area above Hutchinson Road. No other removals are
planned over the next 10 years unless there are major tree failures.
In addition there has been new tree planting in Central Park as part of the park’s restoration and
revegetation.
There are four community restoration groups working in this sector:
• Bell Road Reserve Restoration Group is removing weeds, in particular Elaeagnus,
from Bells Gully.
• Coolidge Street Group is involved in revegetation and weeding on Town Belt and
Coolidge Street reserve.
• Friends of Central Park is working on revegetation and riparian planting in Central
Park.
• Papawai Reserve Group is involved in revegetation and stream care.
The regeneration of native vegetation and current restoration projects will improve ecological
connections between the inner suburbs and the Outer Green Belt.
The Council is proposing to build a new 35 million litre reservoir above Prince of Wales Park. This
will serve Wellington Hospital’s emergency needs and provide bulk water supply for the city’s
growing inner city population. Work is planned to begin in 2015/2016. The reservoir will be buried
to limit modification to the landscape. It will sit on the ridge above the sportsfield adjacent to
Rolleston Street in Mt Cook.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.4.3.1 Extend the existing native forest to form a consistent vegetation cover based around the
moister gullies and south-facing slopes.
8.4.3.2 Maintain the diverse amenity plantings in Central Park while returning east-facing slopes
below Ohiro Road to native forest.
8.4.3.3 Protect and manage the historic conifer plantings around Nairn Street Park.
8.4.3.4 Ensure the proposed water reservoir is buried and remedial planting mitigates its impact
on the Town Belt.
8.4.3.5 Establish a memorial tree planting site on the grass slope adjacent to the Renouf Tennis
Centre.
8.4.4 Recreation
The Brooklyn Hills are a diverse area used for a variety of informal and formal recreation (Sector 4:
current uses map). They contain the City to Sea Walkway 34 (part of the national walkway Te
Araroa), and a number of formal recreation facilities including playing and training fields at
Tanera, Nairn Street and Prince of Wales parks. These are important areas of open space that
should be retained for outdoor recreation and sport. There are no plans for the development of
artificial turf on these fields.
In addition there are the following leased facilities:
• Wellington Swords Club leases the old bowling club building on Tanera Park.
34 A 12km walkway from Bolton Street Memorial Park to Island Bay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 103 .

• Wellington Renouf Tennis Centre on Brooklyn Road is leased to Wellington Tennis
Inc, which subleases the facility to Tennis Central Region Inc. This is a major recreation hub
comprising six covered courts, 12 uncovered courts and a sports shop. The large building
and associated grandstand just off Brooklyn Road is partly subleased to Kaizen Academy
New Zealand Limited. The Centre covered four outdoor courts in 2006 to increase allweather
use.
• Wellington Scottish Athletic Club is adjacent to Prince of Wales Park. This large twostorey
building, accessed off Salisbury Terrace, also provides a base for the Mt Victoria
Kyokushin Karate Dojo, which has a sub-lease with the club.
• Brooklyn Smallbore Rifle Club, off Bell Road, is formerly the home of Brooklyn United
Soccer club.
104 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Northern end of
Sector 4 showing
Tanera Park,
Central Park
(including the
Renouf Tennis Centre)
and
Nairn Street Park
Walking tracks provide pedestrian routes along the hills and between Brooklyn and the city, and
include the route of the City to Sea Walkway. These tracks provide access through a variety of
environments from open spurs with city views to enclosed forest.
The largest park in this sector is Central Park. In 2007 a plan was developed to guide Central Park’s
redevelopment, in particular, to retain the natural character and encourage more use. Since then
the Moturua Stream walkway has been opened.
Mokai Kainga Maori Centre has received Council approval for a licence for a community
garden at Tanera Park subject to community feedback.
Policies – Recreation
8.4.4.1 Maintain Tanera Park, Nairn Street Park and Prince of Wales Park as sites for outdoor
sport and recreation.
8.4.4.2 Manage the former bowling greens in Tanera Park for training facilities and junior sport
as part of the sportsfield network.
8.4.4.3 Complete the track network in Central Park.
8.4.4.4 Wellington Tennis shall continue to operate the Renouf Tennis Centre as a major sporting
facility and provide a sports shop, coaching and associated facilities for casual and
organised sporting activities consistent with its lease.

8.4.5 Encroachments
There are three major access encroachments in this sector:
8.4.6.1 access encroachment and a parking and structure encroachment off Bell Road behind
houses on Dorking Road
8.4.6.2 access encroachment off Connaught Terrace
8.4.6.3 access encroachment through Prince of Wales Park to houses on Wright Street.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 105 .

Mitchell St
Sector 3
Aro Valley/
Polhill Gully
Karepa St
Tiketike Way
Apuka St
Sugarlo af Rd
Reuben Ave
Charlotte Ave
Todman St
Durham St
Mo rtimer Tce
Laura Ave
Kopiko Way
Butt St
Borlase St
Mo rtimer Tce
Tanera Cres
Penn Way
Helen St
Ohiro Rd
Brooklyn
Taft St
Clarence St
Cleveland St
Lincoln St
Mo rtimer Tce
Bretby Cres
Mo rnington Rd
McKin ley Cres
Lincoln St
Sector 4 - Brooklyn Hills
Context
Brooklyn Tce
Harland St
Harrison St
Taft St
Vennell St
Jefferson St
Mills Rd
Epuni St
Garfield St
Gowrie St
Vero nica St
Washington Ave
Heaton Tce
Connau ght Tce
Krull St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
106 .
Closed road - Tanera
Crescent
Epuni Street properties
Tanera Cres
Coolidge Street Gully
Mana St
Fortunatus St
Maarama Cres
Hoggard St
Coolidg e St
Whaui St
Brooklyn Rd
Mccoll St
Bell Rd
Dorking Rd
Asquith Tce
Pearce St
Mo ffitt St
Vogeltown
Liardet St
Short St
Nairn St
Willis St
Stau nto n Ave
Elmira Ave
Bell Rd
Liardet St
Thompson St
Hankey St
Anderson Tce
Pearce St
Dransfield St
Travers St
Finnimore Tce
Victoria St
Karo Drive
Arling ton St
Hankey St
Bidwill St
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards (1847)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Hutchison Rd
Webb St
Oak Gr
Torrens Tce
Rolleston St
Mt Cook
Te Aro
Cuba St
Hankey St
Massey University
Hopper St
Hargreaves St
Papawai Tce
Wright St
Salisbury Tce
Wright St
Westland Rd
Te Whaea
Arthur St
Sector 5
Macalister Park
Abel Smith St
Kelvin Gr
Arthur St
Hopper St
Hill Lane
Finlay Tce
Wallace St
Stoke St
Mu dges Tce
Boyd Tce
Hanson St
Taran aki St
Newto wn
Hall St
Martin Sq
Buckle St
Yale Rd
Trevor Tce
Adelaide Rd
Tainui Tce
Hayward Tce
Tasman St
Coombe St
Howard St
Carrington St
Land managed as Town Belt
John St
Colomb o St
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Manley Tce
Stoke St
¯
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
City to Sea Walkway
Kenwyn Tce
0 85 170 340
metres
scale 1:8,000

Durham St
Helen St
Mo rtimer Tce
Wellington
Swords Club
Penn Way
Tanera Cres
Ohiro Rd
Taft St
Lincoln St
Butt St
Clarence St
Laura Ave
Bretby Cres
Cleveland St
Mo rnington Rd
Current uses
McKin ley Cres
Tanera Cres
Brooklyn Tce
Taft St
Harland St
Harrison St
Vero nica St
Epuni St
Car park
Tanera Park
Jefferson St
Jefferson St
Cleveland St
Bell Road Reserve Restoration
Group - weed control and
revegetation
!(
Gowrie St
Garfield St
Connau ght Tce
Mills Rd
Mana St
Sector 4 - Brooklyn Hills
Levina Ave
Washington Ave
Heaton Tce
Dorking Rd
Fortunatus St
Mokai Kainga Maori Centrecommunity
garden
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Coolidg e St
Whaui St
Brooklyn Rd
Bell Rd
Asquith Tce
Pearce St
Mo ffitt St
Willis St
Stau nto n Ave
Nairn St
Elmira Ave
Bell Rd
Liardet St
Thompson St
Hankey St
Anderson Tce
Pearce St
Hankey St
Bidwill St
Hutchison Rd
Webb St
Torrens Tce
Arling ton St
Oak Gr
Rolleston St
Cuba St
Friends of Central Park
Restoration Project
Hankey St
Hopper St
Hargreaves St
Papawai Tce
Salisbury Tce
Wright St
Westland Rd
Wright St
Arthur St
Carrington St
Arthur St
Hopper St
Hill Lane
Bell Road Reserve
Restoration Group
Wallace St
Finlay Tce
Hanson St
Hall St
Taran aki St
John St
Buckle St
Yale Rd
Howard St
Carrington St
Coolidge Street Group -
revegetation and weeding
Car park
The Papawai Reserve Group -
revegetation and stream care
Main access points
!( Other access points
4 Lookouts
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Car parks
Dog exercise areas
Water facilities
Neighbourhood park
Central Park
Sport and Recreation park
Renouf
Tennis Centre
Brooklyn Smallbore
Rifle Club
Reservoir
Nairn Street
Park
Ohiro Benevolent Home -
remnant of building foundations
Prince of
Wales Park
Wellington Scottish
Athletics Club
Martin Sq
Tainui Tce
Hayward Tce
Tasman St
Adelaide Rd
¯
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 107

Open ridgetops
and spurs
Native forest regeneration
in moister gullies
Sector 4 - Brooklyn Hills
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
108 .
Native forest - 11.9ha
Native scrub/shrubland - 4.0ha
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 0.7ha
Mixed forest (exotic-native) - 0.01ha
Parkland/Arboretum - 0.05ha
Revegetation - 2.9ha
Pohutukawa stands - 1.3ha
Conifer dominant - 12.9ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland - 0.4ha
Exotic forest - 0.09ha
Eucalyptus dominant - 0.7ha
Grassland - 8.3ha
Horticultural (amenity) plantings - 0.01ha
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Built sporting infrastructure
limited to Renouf Tennis Centre
¯
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500

Recreation:
Sportsfield retained
for outdoor recreation
Moturoa Stream
Vegetation management:
Central Park - retain diverse
amenity plantings. Restore
upper slopes and stream
to native forest
Brooklyn Road removal
Vegetation management:
Proposed memorial tree
planting site
Encroachment:
Resolve long-term
access encroachment
off Bell Road
Infrastructure:
Proposed Central City
Reservoir buried and
site revegetated
Sector 4 - Brooklyn Hills
Management and proposed future changes
Vegetation management:
Long-term removal of pines
and restoration of native
forest
Connaught Terrace removal
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Nairn street removal
Vegetation management:
Retain historic conifer
framework around
Nairn Park
Recreation:
Sportsfield retained
for outdoor recreation
Waitangi Stream
Open streams
¯
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed removal
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 109

Table 4: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisations – Brooklyn Hills sector
Site name Legal description and
area
Corner of Lots 5, DP 10508,
Washington
Ave and
comprising 0.0785ha.
Brooklyn Lot 6, DP 10508, comprising
Road
0.1518ha.
Corner of
Nairn Street
and Brooklyn
Road
67 & 67 A
Epuni Street
110 .
Lot 7 DP 10508, comprising
0.4127ha, certificate of title
12 D/1438.
The land in this CT is subject
to the Town Belt Deed and
therefore legally Town Belt.
Pt Lot 9, DP 10508
comprising 0.0048ha.
Pt Lots 11, DP 10508
comprising 0.0206ha.
Both lots being part of CT 12
D/ 1438.
Section 34 Town of
Wellington, comprising
0.4071 ha, CT 75/271.
Section 36 Town of
Wellington, comprising
0.2522 ha, CT 125/25.
Description, location, current
use
The area involves three parcels of
land at the intersection of
Washington Avenue and Brooklyn
Road. The sites are subject to the
Town Belt Deed.
This area is complex with access and
service encroachments over Town
Belt land.
This land takes in the existing
electricity substation on the corner
of Nairn Street and Brooklyn Road.
It was part of the Town Belt Deed.
An area of undeveloped land on the
east side of Epuni Street was
acquired by Council in 1985 for
housing purposes through a land
exchange with the then Wellington
Hospital Board.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The TBMP 1995 identifies these The end of Washington Ave
areas as requiring a review of is legally Town Belt and
their status.
needs to be surveyed, the
Town Belt status removed
To transfer the three areas (in and the road made formal
Nairn Street, Brooklyn Road and legal road. This will mean
Connaught Terrace) to road the adjoining lot 5 will then
reserve.
be isolated from the rest of
Town Belt.
To transfer the land in Nairn
Street and Brooklyn Road to
road reserve.
The TBMP 1995 states:
To add the adjacent Council
owned land in Epuni St to the
Town Belt, either in total or
extending from Levina Ave
access to the existing Town belt
boundary with this land.
The plan proposed that:
“the residents of Levina Ave be
given the opportunity to
purchase part of this land to
enable them to put in a private
driveway. The remainder of this
land will then be added to the
Town Belt. If residents do not
purchase the land within two
years all of it will be added to
the Town belt under
appropriate legislation………”
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
These two small areas are
isolated from the main Town
Belt area and better
managed as road reserve or
sold.
These sections adjoin Tanera
Park, existing Town Belt and
the back portions are
perceived to be part of the
park, comprising the
existing mown grass area
and dog exercise area. The
sections strengthen the
character of Tanera Park and
accommodate a well used
pedestrian link between
Brooklyn, Central Park and
Aro Valley.
49 Epuni Street is land
administered by the
Council’s City Housing Unit
and its future role will be
considered under the City
Housing Strategy.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
It is recommended that lots 5 and 6 Yes, currently
be removed from Town Belt.
legal Town Belt.
It is recommended that:
a) The land on the corner of Nairn
Street and Brooklyn Road, described
as Pt Lot 9, DP 10508, comprising
0.0048ha, part of CT 12D/1438, be
removed from the Town Belt.
Following this, the land will become
road reserve.
b) The land on the corner of Nairn
and Thompson streets, described as
Pt Lot 11, DP 10508, comprising
0.0206ha, part of CT 12D/1438, be
formally removed from the Town
Belt.
It is recommended that these lands
be added to the Town Belt.
To work with the City Housing Unit
regarding the future of the back
portion of 49 Epuni St.
Yes, currently
legal Town Belt.
Yes

Site name Legal description and
area
Closed road Part lot 1 DP 10508,
Tanera comprising 0.4982ha, CT
Crescent 608/49, also described as
closed street.
Connaught
Terrace land
Coolidge
Street and
Connaught
Terrace Gully
The road was formally
stopped, SO Plan 19461, NZ
Gazette 1943 page 1177.
Described as Lot 3 DP 10337,
CT 46 D/917, comprising
0.0154ha.
Described as Lot 3 DP 78149,
CT 44D/514, comprising
0.8479ha.
This reserve land was vested
in the Council as a reserve
contribution when the large
gully area was subdivided in
1994.
Description, location, current
use
This strip of land that crosses Tanera
Park and the former bowling green
was originally intended to be used
for roading purposes but the road
was never built. The road has been
stopped.
When Connaught Terrace was
surveyed and constructed, a small
triangle of land was isolated from
the main parcel of the Town Belt.
This comprises the bush valley area
adjacent to the Town Belt, running
between Coolidge Street and
Connaught Terrace, and classified as
Recreation Reserve.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The TBMP 1995 states: To This land is located right
regularise the legal status of the through the middle of
closed road in Tanera Park. Tanera Park, adjoining the
Town Belt on both sides. It is
considered as a boundary
anomaly.
To transfer the land to road
reserve with provisions made if
necessary for isolation stripes
between this road reserve and
the adjacent freehold land.
The TBMP 1995 states:
To add the existing reserve land
in the Coolidge Street
Connaught Terrace gully to the
Town Belt and investigate the
acquisition of the adjacent
undeveloped private land in the
gully.
This is a small triangular
piece of existing Town Belt
land, which is isolated from
the main Town Belt and
better managed as road
reserve.
This land adjoins existing
Town Belt land and
complements existing Town
Belt landscape and
vegetation. It is a logical
extension of the Town Belt
boundary within this area.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The closed road in Tanera Park, Yes, closed road.
described as Part Lot 1 DP 10508,
comprising 0.4982 ha, CT 608/49,
should be added to the Town Belt.
It is recommended the land
described as Lot 3 DP 10337,
comprising 0.0154ha, CT 46D/917,
located at the beginning of
Connaught Terrace, be formally
removed from the Town Belt.
It is recommended that the Councilowned
Recreation Reserve,
(described as Lot 3, DP 78149, CT
44D/514, comprising 0.8479ha) be
added to the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 111 .
Yes
Yes

8.5 Sector 5 Macalister Park
8.5.1 Character and use
112 .
Macalister Park, Berhampore
This sector defines the western edge of Newtown, extending from Hutchison Road to Britomart
Street (Sector five: context map).
The sector comprises three main areas:
1. A low ridge extends south from the Brooklyn Hills. Large conifers have been removed
from much of the ridgeline and replaced with native vegetation.
2. Playing fields are to the east (Rugby League Park and Te Whaea artificial turf) and south
(Macalister Park) of the ridge.
3. At the southern end the land slopes steeply down to Berhampore. It is densely vegetated
in a mixture of exotic and native scrub with a stand of pines at the west end.
This area is mainly used for formal recreation. The 2009 Residents Survey found over a third of
residents had visited this area and Berhampore (part of Sector 6) in the past six months. Almost 30
percent had never visited.
Rugby League Park and Macalister Park provide extensive areas of playing fields for formal
recreation. In addition, the new artificial sports turf at Te Whaea was built in 2010.
The playing fields also offer opportunities for casual ball games, kite flying, etc, while various tracks
on the ridge and the southern slopes provide walking opportunities in less -developed
environments.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

A play area near Hanson Street is easily accessible from western Newtown and another play area at
Farnham Street provides for the Berhampore and Vogeltown communities.
The former Wellington Showgrounds (Te Whaea Dance and Drama Centre) are part of the Town
Belt, but the provisions of the Town Belt Deed are suspended under the Wellington City Exhibition
Act 1959. The showgrounds (except for the new Te Whaea artificial turf) are managed
independently from this management plan.
There is one reservoir in the sector at the southern edge of the ridge above Macalister Park.
8.5.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
The new Te Whaea artificial playing field is no longer covered by the Wellington City Exhibitions
Act 1959 as it has been take out of the premises lease for the site. The land has reverted to the Town
Belt and is covered by the 1873 Town Belt Deed.
The reserve land at Travers Street and Finnimore Terrace, and the land held for sanitary purposes
on the corner of Farnham Street and Liardet Street, are covered under this management plan
(Sector 5: context map). A total of 0.94 ha.
Please refer to Table 5 at the end of this sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions and
removals and boundary adjustments.
Wallace Street: The 1995 Town Belt Management Plan recommends that “the three isolated
areas in the Wallace Street vicinity and west of Liardet Street shall be transferred to Road
Reserve with provisions made, if necessary, for isolation strips between the areas made road
reserve and adjacent freehold land.”
The three areas near Wallace Street are grassed and have some significant pohutukawa trees and
other plantings that contribute to the greening of this area. A community playground has been
established on the larger of the three sections. It is recommended these three sections remain as
Town Belt.
Liardet Street boundary rationalisation: The area of Town Belt west of Liardet Street has
been divided by legal road. The alignment of the legal road and existing road differ. Legal boundary
rationalisation is required to make the legal and physical boundaries consistent. A number of
access encroachments off Liardet Street across the Town Belt will be resolved at the same time.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.5.2.1 Formally add the following areas to Town Belt:
• the reserve land at Travers Street and Finnimore Terrace
• the land held for sanitary purposes on the corner of Farnham Street and Liardet
Street.
8.5.2.2 In the event the use of the former showgrounds terminates, to integrate management of
the Wellington Showgrounds site with that of adjacent Town Belt.
8.5.2.3 Regularise the existing and legal road alignments at Liardet Street.
8.5.3 Landscape and ecological management
The area provides an open space backdrop to Newtown and Berhampore and is overlooked from
Vogeltown and Mornington.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 113 .

A more unifying cohesive vegetation pattern is being developed to link the area and provide an
attractive backdrop for the sportsfields (Sector 5: landscape and existing vegetation map). The
major changes over the past 15 years have been:
• pine-tree removal at the southern end of Finnimore Terrace and replanting in natives
• extensive replanting around the new artificial turf at Te Whaea
• planting of steep grass slopes to reduce mowing hazards
• removal/management of young pine trees at the reservoir site.
There are no large areas of pine trees prioritised for removal over the next 10 years.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.5.3.1 Retain the open space character of Macalister Park and gradually improve plantings for
shade and shelter.
8.5.3.2 Gradually remove large conifer trees alongside Finnimore Terrace and replace with
natives.
8.5.3.3 Retain and manage the eucalyptus forest below Finnimore Terrace in the medium term.
8.5.4 Recreation
The sector is intensively developed for formal recreation (Sector 5: current uses map). Te Whaea
and its artificial surface and the natural turf fields at Macalister Park and Rugby League Park are
an integral part of the sportsfield network. It is proposed that the natural turf fields are retained at
Macalister Park and any future development would support outdoor sport on this park.
Te Whaea artificial sportsfield: In 2010 Wellington City Council completed the Te Whaea
artificial sportsfield on what was the upper car park at Te Whaea National Dance and Drama
Centre (former Wellington Showgrounds), next to Rugby League Park.
The artificial sportsfield is used for training and competition games by football (soccer) rugby
union teams, and other sports codes. The field is 65m by 120m and has floodlighting. The
sportsfield area has been removed from the premises management lease and the land returned to
Town Belt status, but the land for car parking to the north is still covered by the lease and is used
by sportsfield and show building users.
In addition there are a cluster of clubrooms situated on the Town Belt on the corner of Stoke and
Hanson Streets adjacent to a large parking area. The clubs leasing the lareas are:
• City of Wellington Pipe Band
• Cook Island Society New Zealand Wellington Branch
• Scout Association of New Zealand, Southern Cross
In addition, the Wellington Rugby Football Union leases the grandstand at Rugby League
Park, which is the home base for the Hurricanes and Wellington Lions.
The Hanson Street Play Area is situated on the Town Belt to the north of the car park below Rugby
League Park and is due for renewal or decommission in 2022/2023. An assessment will be carried
out based on future demographic analysis.
114 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

The City to Sea Walkway 35 (part of Te Araroa, the national walkway), passes through the sector.
Most tracks are open to mountain bikes. There is a comprehensive system of tracks linking northsouth
and between Finnimore Terrace and Adelaide Road. Many of these could be used as key
commuting routes and should be considered as part of the proposed Island Bay to City walkway
and cycleway, as long as this does not conflict with the recreational nature of the Town Belt.
There is a dog exercise area on the corner of Liardet and Farnham streets and another area at the
southern end of Macalister Park.
This area has the potential to become a major entrance to the Town Belt and, in the longer term, be
developed into a neighbourhood park space and hub for sporting clubs.
The development of the artificial turf at Te Whaea, the former Wellington Showgrounds, has
created a major recreational hub in this location. It has also brought back the land into Town Belt
use and removed it from the lease between the Council and The New Zealand Schools of Dance and
Drama Premises Management Trust Board.
Policies – Recreation
8.5.4.1 Maintain and develop Macalister Park, Rugby League Park and Te Whaea as facilities for
outdoor sport and recreation.
8.5.4.2 Investigate possible options through this sector for the Island Bay to CBD cycleway and
walkway.
8.5.5 Encroachments
There are several access encroachments off Liardet Street that will be resolved during the
adjustment of the legal road boundaries (see 8.5.2).
35 A 12km walkway from Bolton Street Memorial Park to Island Bay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 115 .

Mo rnington Rd
McKin ley Cres
Harland St
Vennell St
The Ridgeway
Harrison St
Taft St
Ontario St
Mills Rd
Halifax St
Garfield St
Gowrie St
Vero nica St
Ingestre St
Laurent Pl
Havelock St
Brooklyn
Mo rnington
Kingsto n
Washington Ave
Krull St
Mana St
Priscilla Cres
Breton Gr
Fortunatus St
Vogeltown
Hoggard St
Huron Pl
Balfour St
Coolidg e St
Dorking Rd
Whaui St
Farn ham St
Sector 5 - Macalister Park
Context
Mccoll St
Asquith Tce
Pearce St
Mo ffitt St
Liardet St
Short St
Pearce St
Dransfield St
Travers St
Finnimore Tce
Britomart St
Mo rton St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
116 .
Travers Reserve land
Farnham Street Reserve
Sector 4
Brooklyn Hills
Liardet St
Emerson St
Sector 6
Golf Course/
Mt Albert
Stan ley St
Stan ley St
Hutchison Rd
Mt Cook
Chilka St
Wright St
Salisbury Tce
Westland Rd
Palm Gr
Duppa St
Palm Gr
Wallace St
Adelaide Rd
Berhampore
Akatea St
Hanson St
Stoke St
Boyd Tce
Torqu ay Tce
Waripori St
Mu dges Tce
Herald St
Dawson St
Tasman St
Trevor Tce
Luxford St
Hall St
Newto wn
Stirling St
Blythe St
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards (1847)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
John St
Nikau St
Rintoul St
Hall Ave
Kenwyn Tce
Brixham Way
Lavau d St
Colomb o St
Millward St
Waripori St
Milton St
Glendavar St
Drummond St
Hugh St
Winter Showgrounds
(suspended from Town Belt Deed)
Howell Ave
Te Whaea - National Dance
and Drama Centre
Stoke St
Herald St
Regina Tce
Herald St
Penrose Ave
Florence St
Edin burgh Tce
Emmett St
Green St
Riddiford St
Gordo n Pl
Wilson St
Russell Tce
Angus Ave
Land managed as Town Belt
Mein St
Wilson St
Mansfield St
Daniell St
Constable St
Newto wn Ave
Normanby St
Donald Mclean St
Arney St
¯
Ferg uson St
Rhodes St
Horner St
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
Roy St
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
City to Sea Walkway
0 85 170 340
metres
scale 1:8,000

Mills Rd
Connau ght Tce
Havelock St
Washington Ave
Mana St
Krull St
Mana St
Fortunatus St
Priscilla Cres
Hoggard St
Balfour St
Coolidg e St
Whaui St
Farn ham St
Mccoll St
Asquith Tce
Pearce St
Car park
Mo ffitt St
Sector 5 - Macalister Park
Current uses
Liardet St
Short St
Liardet St
Pearce St
Dransfield St
Travers St
Reservoir
Finnimore Tce
Stan ley St
Britomart St
Mo rton St
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Hutchison Rd
Wright St
Westland Rd
Te Whaea
Artificial Turf
Rugby League
Park
Cook Island
Society
Palm Gr
Car park
Macalister Park
Waripori St
Palm Gr
Adelaide Rd
Wallace St
Stoke St
Mu dges Tce
Boyd Tce
Torqu ay Tce
Post Office Ave
Mt Cook
Play Area
Tasman St
Wellington Rugby
Football Union
Hanson Street
Play Area
Trevor Tce
Hanson St
Luxford St
Hall St
Manley Tce
Southern Cross Scouts
City of Wellington
Pipe Band
Herald St
Stoke St
!(
Stirling St
John St
Nikau St
Kenwyn Tce
Rintoul St
Hall Ave
Brixham Way
Herald St
Howell Ave
Colomb o St
Milton St
Regina Tce
Millward St
Florence St
Waripori St
Herald Tce
Herald St
Penrose Ave
Main access points
!( Other access points
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Car parks
Mein St
Emmett St
Green St
Gordo n Pl
Riddiford St
Angus Ave
Neighbourhood park
Dog exercise areas
Water facilities
Wilson St
Constable St
Russell Tce
Edin burgh Tce
¯
Sport and Recreation park
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 117

Sector 5 - Macalister Park
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
118 .
Low ridge with large
conifers at northern end
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Open space character
of sportsfields
Native forest - 0.8ha
Native scrub/shrubland - 0.7ha
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native)
¯
Mixed forest (exotic-native) - 2.6ha
Revegetation - 3.8ha
Pohutukawa stands
Conifer dominant - 2.2ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland - 1.6ha
Eucalyptus dominant - 3.2ha
Grassland - 15.2ha
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500

Vegetation management:
Gradual removal of large
conifers on ridgeline
Vegetation management:
Retain and manage
eucalypt forest
Land additions and removals:
Stop legal road and add land
to Town Belt
Recreation:
Investigate options for
Island Bay to CBD
cycleway via Town Belt
Sector 5 - Macalister Park
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Recreation:
Review possible development
as a Town Belt entrance and
as a hub for sporting clubs
Recreation:
Retain open space character
of Macalister Park
¯
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed addition
Proposed removal
0 70 140 280
metres
scale 1:6,500
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 119

Table 5: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisation – Macalister Park sector
Site name
Wellington
Legal description and
area
Show
The land is owned by the
Association Council, described as Lot 4
site
DP 10337, CT 46D/917.
Wallace
Street land
Reserve land
at Travers
Street and
Finnimore
Terrace
120 .
These three areas are defined
as:
Lot 5 DP 10337, comprising
0.2003ha
Lot 6 DP 10337, comprising
0.1050ha
Part Lot 7 DP 10337,
comprising 0.1185ha.
As all three lots are defined
in CT 46D/917 and this title
is subject to the Town Belt
Deed, this land is therefore
legally Town Belt.
The land is described as:
Lots 445, 446 & 447, DP
9808, CT 559/64,
comprising 0.2727ha,
Recreation Reserve, NZ
Gazette 1995 page 2438.
Lot 448, DP 9808, CT
549/96, comprising
0.0918ha, Recreation
Reserve, NZ Gazette 1995
page 2438.
Lots 449 & 450, DP 9808, CT
489/262, comprising
0.1999ha, Recreation
Reserve, NZ Gazette 1995
page 2438.
Closed Street as shown on
SO Plan 23070, CT 624/38,
comprising 0.1678ha,
Recreation Reserve, NZ
Gazette 1995 page 2438.
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
This land is located between Hutchison The Town Belt Management Approximately 2.1111 ha of this
Road, John Street and Hanson Street. It Plan (TBMP) 1995, part 2, page land (This included the Te Whaea
is 5.2230 ha and was taken for the 21, states that “In the event of Artificial sports field) has now
Wellington City Exhibitions Grounds by the showgrounds use
been returned to management
the Wellington City Exhibitions
terminating, to integrate under the Town Belt Deed.
Grounds Act 1927 (WCEA) (see now the management of the Wellington
1959 Act). The land is still owned by Showgrounds site with that of
Council. Part is leased by the
Wellington Show Association, which
subleases part to Premises Management
Trust for the New Zealand Dance and
Drama School. This land is part of the
Town Belt, but the provisions of the
Town Belt Deed are suspended under
the WCEA 1959.
the adjacent Town belt”.
Three small pockets of Town Belt land
at the corner of Hanson and John
streets, and to each side of the
Hutchison Road/Wallace Street
intersection, have been isolated from
the main Town Belt by road alienations.
A neighbourhood playground has been
developed on one of the sites.
This is Council-owned Recreation
Reserve land at the southern end of
Finnimore Terrace and off Travers
Street, Vogeltown. The land is adjacent
to Macalister Park Reservoir at 93
Liardet Street.
The TBMP, 1995 considers these
areas anomalies in terms of
Town Belt management and
proposes that they be made road
reserve.
The land described above is
identified as a potential addition
to the Town Belt in the Town
Belt Management Plan. (Area 6A
TBMP 1995, part 1, page 16).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
These three areas contribute to the
greening of this area. A
community playground has been
established on the larger of the
three areas.
This land connects with existing
Town Belt land and is effectively
managed as such. It is original
Town Belt and now has Recreation
Reserve status. The landscape and
vegetation is consistent with
adjoining Town Belt land.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
In the event of the
3.1119 ha is not
showgrounds use
managed under
terminating, the
this plan but the
management of the
2.1111 ha of Te
Wellington Showgrounds Whaea Artificial
site should be integrated
with that of the adjacent
Town Belt.
is.
These areas should be
retained as Town Belt. No
action required.
The land, described as Lots
445-450 DP 9808 and
Closed Street SO Plan
23070, should be added to
the Town Belt.
Yes, currently
Town Belt.
Yes

Site name Legal description and
area
Liardet Street
realignment
Land held for
sanitary
purposes,
corner of
Farnham
Street and
Liardet Street
Described as Section 1 SO
Plan 22375, Certificate of
Title 597/102, comprising
0.2109ha. It is held for
Sanitary Works, NZ Gazette
1928 page 1732.
Description, location, current use Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The defined legal road does not follow The TBMP 1995 recommends
the existing formed road in this area of Liardet Street to be regularised,
Liardet Street from the intersection including the area with the
with Priscilla Crescent and running private encroachments, to
alongside Macalister Park. This area become road reserve, with
will require resurveying and the existing appropriate isolation strips
road made legal road. The areas not Previous correspondence to
required as legal road could be returned property owners has been
to the Town Belt.
In addition, five private properties at
the top end of Liardet Street (opposite
Macalister Park), numbers 64A, 66, 76,
78 & 84 Balfour Street, all have access
encroachments over Town Belt land
connecting through to Liardet Street.
consistent with the management
plan policies.
This land is adjacent to Town Belt land
at the corner of Farnham Street and
Liardet Street, Berhampore.
The area contains a number of drainage
assets, including the entrance to a large
stormwater tunnel, which heads under
Macalister Park to a sewer main. The
tunnel entrance is now closed and
converted to a standard manhole for
inspection purposes. There are also two
stormwater intakes, which are
inspected and cleared of debris
routinely.
This is not original Town Belt
land, nor was it identified in the
TBMP 1995 as a potential
addition to the Town Belt.
This land adjoins existing Town
Belt land and is part of the mown
grass area. It is perceived to be
part of the Town Belt and is a
logical addition.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The Liardet Street road No, currently
alignment and access legal road but
encroachments for numbers should be
64A, 66, 76, 78 & 84 Balfour managed
Street should be resolved. consistently with
TBMP policies.
The Council-owned land on
the corner of Farnham Street
and Liardet Street,
Berhampore, described as
Section 1 SO Plan 22375,
Certificate of Title 597/102,
comprising 0.2109ha,
should be formally added to
Town Belt.
Prior to this Town Belt
inclusion, the appropriate
easements should be
registered against the lands
Certificate of Title to secure
the access to and
maintenance of drainage
assets on the land.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 121 .
Yes

8.6 Sector 6 Golf Course/Mt Albert
122 .
Martin Luckie Park, Mt Albert Park, National Hockey Stadium,
Newtown Park and Melrose Park
8.6.1 Character and use
The sector forms the southern limit to the Town Belt. It extends from the slopes of Kingston across
the valley, where it is bisected by Adelaide Road, to Mt Albert and then follows the ridge north to
Manchester Street in Melrose (Sector 6: context map).
Much of the area is developed into sports grounds with an extensive area (37.1ha) managed as the
Berhampore Golf Course, an 18-hole public course. Most of the undeveloped land is on the steeper
slopes of Kingston and the Mt Albert ridge with a variety of vegetation including exotic scrub,
planted and naturally occurring native vegetation, stands of pines of various ages and some
eucalypts (Sector 6: landscape and existing vegetation map).
The typical Town Belt character is poorly developed in this sector due to the:
• open nature of the golf course and sportsfields
• incomplete forest cover on the higher ridgelines.
The extensive conifer and exotic tree planting that occurred on other areas of the Town Belt did not
extend into this sector. The exotic scrub that succeeded pasture was fire prone preventing
regeneration of taller vegetation.
The sector is characterised by a wide variety of formal recreation facilities. This includes
sportsfields at Wakefield, Martin Luckie, Mt Albert, Newtown and Melrose parks, catering for
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

cricket, football, hockey, rugby, rugby league and softball and ultimate frisbee. National facilities
include the hockey stadium at Mt Albert and Newtown Park for athletics. There are tennis courts at
Martin Luckie Park.
This area is mainly used for formal recreation. The 2009 Residents Survey found over a third of
residents had visited the Berhampore part of the sector and Macalister Park (Sector 5) in the past
six months. Almost 30 percent had never visited.
Most of the playing fields are available for informal recreation such as casual ball games, kite flying
etc. There is a dog exercise area at Newtown Park and a skatepark opposite Wakefield Park.
The sector is characterised by the two main tracks on the Mt Albert Ridge (Southern Walkway 36 )
and Kingston Ridge (City to Sea Walkway 37 , part of Te Araroa, the national walkway). They provide
walking and cycling opportunities with views of Cook Strait, the Miramar Peninsula and the
airport.
The area also contains the Parks and Gardens Depot off Russell Terrace in Newtown and the
Berhampore Nursery off Emerson Street in Berhampore.
There are two reservoirs in this sector, both situated on high ground off Mt Albert Road close to the
National Hockey Stadium.
8.6.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
This sector of the Town Belt forms the curve of the distinctive horseshoe shape of the Town Belt
and defines the southern boundary of the Town Belt landscape framework that encircles the inner
city.
The current Town Belt Management Plan aimed to extend the Town Belt concept by including the
Council-owned reserve areas south of the horseshoe, along Tawatawa Ridge in the west and
Houghton Valley reserves in the east.
The proposed approach is to strengthen the Town Belt’s continuity and its distinguishable features,
such as the visual and physical relationship with the central city and defined horseshoe shape
(Sector 6: context map). The location and aspect of the reserve areas along Tawatawa Ridge and
within Houghton Valley are visually more connected with the suburb of Island Bay and the South
Coast as apposed to the central city. It is recommended these reserve areas are not added to the
Town Belt and are included in a reserves management plan for suburban parks and reserves to be
developed over the next few years.
There are two areas that require legal road boundary rationalisation. These include a small area of
Stanley Street in front of the Berhampore Nursery, and Mt Albert Road/Volga Street realignment.
The actual road and legal road boundaries are inconsistent. Part of this rationalisation will include
assessing the granting of right-of-way easements to nearby houses with vehicle access off the
existing legal road (which will become Town Belt land again).
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.6.2.1 The Council shall regularise the legal road alignments at:
• Stanley Street, in front of the Berhampore Nursery
• Volga Street/Mt Albert Road. Easements may be required to guarantee existing
private vehicle access off existing legal road.
36 An 11km walkway from Oriental Bay to Island Bay
37 A 12km walkway from Bolton Street Memorial Park to Island Bay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 123 .

8.6.3 Landscape and ecological management
There have been substantial vegetation changes over the past 15 years in this sector with:
• major removal of exotic forest on the east-facing slopes above Berhampore Golf Course.
There has been extensive replanting and restoration with native vegetation. However, the
difficult site conditions has meant a generally low survival rate.
• thinning out of younger pine-tree plantings within the golf course
• revegetation of gorse-covered slopes and steep mowing sites on Mt Albert above the
National Hockey Stadium
• selective removal of hazardous trees on Manchester Street above Wellington Zoo.
There is a strong coastal influence in this sector with the potential for much of the scrubland to
return to coastal native forest. Restoration practices in these areas should support this long-term
change. This should be carried out in conjunction with the reserve areas on the Kingston and
Southgate ridges flanking Island Bay to improve ecological connectivity with the coast.
The Golf Club and Wakefield Park sports turf are major constraints to developing a more
recognisable Town Belt character and ecological corridors across the Adelaide Road saddle (Sector
6: landscape and existing vegetation).
There are still substantial areas of mature conifers on both sides of the zoo, which provide an
important framework to the area and should be retained. It is accepted that some of the trees next
to the zoo do provide substantial shading to some enclosures and consideration should be given to
their replacement with shorter species once removal occurs.
No major conifer removal is planned in next 10 years unless there are major tree failures.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.6.3.1 Establish a coastal forest cover on the higher ground on the eastern and western ridges.
8.6.3.2 Establish vegetation linkages across the valley to develop ecological and landscape
corridors.
8.6.3.3 Retain the open space character of the Golf Course.
8.6.3.4 Establish a mixed forest around Newtown Park and the zoo to complement the zoo
planting.
8.6.3.5 Retain the parkland character and ultimately replace the historic pines around Newtown
Park.
8.6.4 Recreation
The area is the most extensively developed for formal sport (including the golf course) on the Town
Belt (Sector 6: current uses map).
There are play areas at Newtown Park and Melrose Park. Both have been renewed within the past
10 years. There is a skatepark on the eastern side of Adelaide Road.
There are two dog exercise parks – at Newtown Park and Mt Albert.
There are several club facilities in this sector including:
124 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• Foundation for the National Hockey Stadium which owns and manages the
clubrooms at the National Hockey Stadium
• Mornington Golf Club has a ground lease for the former Berhampore Bowling Club
building off Duppa Street
• Island Bay Softball Club and Island Bay United Association Football Club
clubrooms are next to the artificial sports turf on Wakefield Park
• Scout Association of New Zealand, 1st Island Bay Group is on Dover Street
• Rangimarie Municipal Tennis Club leases the clubhouse next to the tennis courts on
Lavaud Street
• Wellington Car Club Incorporated
• Wellington Chinese Sports & Cultural Centre owns and manages an indoor sports
centre above the National Hockey stadium off Mt Albert Road.
• Wellington Pistol Club and Wellington Smallbore Rifle Association share
facilities next to Russell Terrace.
• the former Mornington Golf Club building on Adelaide Road is currently empty. Council is
looking for new tenants
The Island Bay and Berhampore Community Orchard Trust has a licence for a community
orchard.
There are several possible changes and developments that could occur in this area.
Wakefield Park: The redevelopment of this area with the installation of two artificial fields and
infrastructure, including lighting, has increased use of this facility. The clubs using the park are
investigating future club and changing facilities possibly as a stand-alone new facility. Other factors
that need to be considered include:
• the future use of the former Mornington Golf clubrooms at the northern end of the artificial
turf
• possible reconfiguration of the golf course and assess demand for car-parking.
Wakefield Park artificial sportsfields
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 125 .

Newtown Park in the 1890s
(S C Smith Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, F- 152785-1/2)
126 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Newtown Park: The
Park has an all-weather
athletics track and
facilities including
grandstand and club
facilities. The artificial
track surface is being
replaced in 2012/2013
with improvements to
the Newtown No 1 field
in the centre of the
artificial track.
The Wellington Phoenix
is based at the park and
uses the Number 2
football pitch and
changing facilities.
National Hockey Stadium: The stadium has two artificial surfaces and clubroom and office
facilities. It hosts club, regional, national and international competition.
The Foundation for the National Hockey Stadium and Wellington Hockey Association have a longterm
plan which proposes a third artificial surface and redeveloped infrastructure and
clubroom/office facilities. This is to cater for increasing demand for hockey regionally and the
ability of the stadium to host large hockey events including test matches.
Berhampore Golf Course: The Mornington Golf Club is planning to move to the former
Berhampore Bowling Club building on Duppa Street. It plans to convert the bowling greens to practice
greens. The club has a Memorandum of Understanding to work in partnership with the Council and
assist with some tasks associated with the maintenance and running of the golf course. Both parties
will work on the future configuration of the course. Options include:
• reconfiguration of the current 18 holes (to better suit the new golf club facility) and training
area
• reducing the course to a nine-hole course and playing on the western side of Adelaide Road
only
• reducing the course area to 13-holes on western side of Adelaide Road (five holes be played
twice to continue with an 18-hole course).
If the long-term configuration of the golf course is limited to the western side of Adelaide Road,
consideration will be needed on the future management of the eastern side. The rolling, open nature of
the landscape would lend itself to a range of informal recreation activities including biking, walking
and running.
Tracks: Track and commuter links in this area are constrained by the golf course. As part of the
Council’s Walking Policy and Cycling Policy there are two proposals to improve access between
suburbs and the CBD that could use the Town Belt:
• A walking and cycling link could be created between Island Bay and Newtown (in
particular South Wellington Intermediate School) using parts of the Town Belt on the
eastern side of Adelaide Road through Martin Luckie Park.

• A commuter cycling link could be created between Island Bay and the CBD passing
through sections of the Town Belt.
These links would provide for local Town Belt use as well as commuting use and would be allweather
tracks with a hard surface.
Policies – Recreation
8.6.4.1 Maintain and develop Wakefield Park, Martin Luckie Park, Mt Albert Park, Newtown Park
and Melrose Park as facilities for outdoor sport and recreation.
8.6.4.2 Continue to work with the Mornington Golf Club to assess the scope, scale and facilities
provided at the Berhampore Golf Course and the development and management
opportunities available.
8.6.4.3 Assess the impact of the golf links on public access and other recreational opportunities
and address how to integrate other recreational uses with golf.
8.6.4.4 Assess the proposed track links between Newtown and the CBD to ensure they integrate
with the Town Belt track network and minimise conflict with Town Belt users.
8.6.4.5 Facilitate and work with the Wellington Hockey Association who are investigating options
at the National Hockey Stadium including:
a) a third hockey turf
b) upgrading the Stadium to international standards.
8.6.4.6 Facilitate and work with the clubs at Wakefield Park who are investigating options for a
purpose-built sporting hub at the park.
8.6.5 Parks infrastructure
8.6.5.1 The Berhampore Plant Nursery shall remain at its present location to provide plant
material for Council restoration and beautification projects.
8.6.5.2 The Newtown Parks Depot shall remain at its present location to provide an operational
base for the management of Council parks and reserves.
8.6.6 Encroachments
There is one road legal boundary adjustment off Volga Street with associated access encroachments
to houses on Jackson Street.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 127 .

Table 6: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisations – Berhampore Golf Course/ Mt Albert sector
Site name Legal description and
area
Stanley Street Part of Stanley Street (legal
road
road) outside the entrance to
alignment the Council-owned
Berhampore Nursery, Part of
CT 47B/388.
Mt Albert/
Volga Street
road
realignment
128 .
A length of legal road
running from the corner of
Lavaud Street and Mt Albert
Road, Newtown, through to
Volga Street/Jackson Street,
Island Bay.
Description, location, current
use
A small area of Stanley Street
encroaches onto Town Belt land and
this requires rationalisation. Part of
the Town Belt land should become
legal road.
The stretch of road from the Mt
Albert Road/Lavaud Street
intersection through to the Volga
Street/Jackson Street does not
follow the alignment of the legal
road on Town Belt land.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
Recommendation Land covered
assessment
by this TBMP
Boundary rationalisation. Part of Stanley Street, outside the
entrance to the Berhampore
Nursery, should be resurveyed to
follow the actual road carriageway.
As part of this process, a small area
of Town Belt land will be removed
(the exact area to be confirmed
following survey).
Yes
The TBMP1995 (part 2,
page 24) states:
The Council shall
regularise the existing road
alignments at Volga
Street/Mt Albert Road and
grant such easements as
may be required to
guarantee existing private
access-ways off the existing
legal road.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The legal road should be redefined to
reflect the actual road alignment.
No, currently
legal road but
should be
managed
consistently with
TBMP policies.

Ohiro Rd
Brookl yn
Vancouver St
Mo ntreal Gr
Cabot Pl
Columb ia Way
Camrose Gr
Manawa Karioi
Baffin Gr
Manitoba Pl
Mo ntreal Gr
Tawatawa Reserve
Quebec St
The Ridgeway
Maple Gr
Winnipeg Way
Caribou Pl
Ontario St
Kings ton
Laurent Pl
Mornington
Halifax St
Balfour St
Priscilla Cres
Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert
Context
Farn ham St
Other data has been com piled from a v ariety of s ources and its acc uracy m ay var y, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Breton Gr
Liardet St
Rhine St
Sector 5
Macalister Park
Rhine St
Freeling St
Emerson St
Stan ley St
Mu rray St
Eden St
Stan ley St
Danube St
Tamar St
Waikato St
Travancore St
Medway St
Britomart St
Dee St
Chilka St
Akatea St
Duppa St
The Parade
The Parade
Palm Gr
Island Bay
Avon St
Waripori St
Palm Gr
Clyd e St
Adelaide Rd
Berhampore
Dover St
Don St
Herald St
Dee St
Melbo urne Rd
Erskine Cl
Melbo urne Rd
Luxford St
Melbo urne Rd
Rintoul St
Stirling St
Blythe St
Waripori St
Lavaud St
Jackson St
Milton St
Bay Lair Gr
Vo lga St
Hudson St
Herald St
Edin burgh Tce
Russell Tce
Arun Cres
Mansfield St
Mt Albert Rd
Newtown
Melrose
Land protected by Houghton Town B ay Belt Deed
Southgate
Southgate Rd
Roy St
Houghton Bay Rd
Buckley Rd
Roy St
Daniell St
Manchester St
Wellington
Zoo
Owen St
Sector 7
Newtown /
Crawford Road
Hornsey Rd
Antico St
Heaphy Way
Dunedin Tce
Sutherland Cres
Sunglow Ave
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
McCleverty Awards (1847)*
* Land assigned to Te Aro,
Pipitea and Kumototo Maori
under the McCleverty awards
View Rd
Sutherland Rd
Miller Pl
Rodrigo Rd
Bella Vista
Duncan Tce
Buckingham St
Kotinga St
Tavistock Rd
Carlton St
Rua St
Houghton Tce
Queens Dr
Queens Dr
Bourke St
Kilbirnie
Imperial Tce
Freyberg St
Lya ll Ba y
Lyall Pde
Childers Tce
Wellington Zoo
Palm Ave
Bay Rd
Endeavour St
Wha St
¯
Coutts St
Cruickshank St
Cockburn St
0 145 290 580
metres
scale 1:11,000
Onepu Rd
Ecological connectivity
Southern Walkway
City to Sea Walkway
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 129

Baffin Gr
Manitoba Pl
Quebec St
Maple Gr
Quebec St
Caribou Pl
The Ridgeway
Kingsto n Heights Rd
Ontario St
Stormont Pl
Laurent Pl
Halifax St
Balfour St
Priscilla Cres
Breton Gr
Huron Pl
Farn ham St
Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - western part
Current uses
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
130 .
Farnham Street
Play Area
!(
Liardet St
Rhine St
Main access points
Emerson St
Mu rray St
Danube St
Seine St
Britomart St
Mo rton St
Mornington Golf Club
!( Other access points
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Rhine St
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Stan ley St
Stan ley St
Eden St
Dee St
Jeypo re St
Chilka St
The Parade
Palm Gr
Duppa St
The Parade
Royal St
Burwah St
Waripori St
Palm Gr
Berhampore Nursery
Wakefield Park
Island Bay United Football Club
Island Bay Softball Club
Island Bay Tennis
and Squash Club
Car parks
Neighbourhood park
Akatea St
Adelaide Rd
Dover St
Dee St
Berhampore Golf Course
¯
Don St
Sport and Recreation park
Fairway
Green
0 55 110 220
metres
scale 1:5,100

Palm Gr
Post Office Ave
Britomart St
Clyd e St
Adelaide Rd
Chilka St
Akatea St
Duppa St
Don St
Dover St
Dee St
Melbo urne Rd
Luxford St
Herald St Herald St
Dawson St
Erskine Cl
Melbo urne Rd
Chatham St
Mace St
Stirling St
Blythe St
Rintoul St
Parks & Gardens
Depot
Island Bay and Berhampore
Community Orchard Trust
Berhampore
Skate Park
First Island Bay
Scout Group
Recreation Wellington -
Phoenix use Newtown
number two as a training
base
Rangimarie Municipal
Tennis Club
Jackson St
Milton St
Glendavar St
Herald St
Lavau d St
Martin Luckie Park
Reservoir
Bay Lair Gr
Edin burgh Tce
Herald Tce
Angus Ave
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Russell Tce
Wellington Pistol Club &
Wellington Smallbore
Rifle Association
Reservoir
Mt Albert Rd
Mt Albert
Dual Slalom
bike track
Wellington
Car Club
Vo lga St
Arun Cres
Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - eastern part
Current uses
Roy St
Foundation for the
National Hockey Stadium
Mt Albert Park National
Hockey Stadium
Southgate Rd
Newtown
Play Area
Newtown Park
Wellington Chinese Sports
and Cultural Centre
!(
Main access points
!( Other access points
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
Buckley Rd
WCC leases
Skate park
Neighbourhood park
Roy St
Houghton Bay Rd
Owen St
Wellington
Zoo
Melrose Park
Reservoir
Manchester St
Hornsey Rd
Caprera St
Melrose Cres
Melrose
Play Area
Dog exercise areas
Water facilities
Wellington Zoo
Auckland Tce
Dunedin Tce
¯
Sunglow Ave
Sport and Recreation park
Berhampore Golf Course
Fairway
Green
Telecommunication
masts
Kawakawa Commons
Community Group
0 62.5 125 250
metres
scale 1:6,000
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 131

Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - western side
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
132 .
Absence of conifer plantations.
Regenerating shrubland
Open space character
of golf course
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Native forest - 2.4ha
¯
Developed sporting
infrastructure
Native scrub/shrubland - 1.2ha
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 8.7ha
Revegetation - 2.0ha
Conifer dominant - 5.0ha
Grassland - 22.0ha
0 55 110 220
metres
scale 1:5,100

Native forest - 17.6ha
Native scrub/shrubland - 1.5ha
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 8.6ha
Parkland/arboretum - 0.4ha
Revegetation - 4.8ha
Pohutukawa stands - 0.6ha
Conifer dominant - 8.9ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland
Eucalyptus dominant - 0.6ha
Grassland - 22.6ha
Open space character
of golf course
Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - eastern part
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Slopes of Mt Albert -
a mix of exotic scrub
and native vegetation
¯
0 62.5 125 250
metres
scale 1:6,000
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 133

Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - western part
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
134 .
Vegetation management:
Restore slopes to
native forest
Recreation:
Investigate future golf
course configuration in
conjunction with
Mornington Golf Club
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Recreation:
Facilitate the development
of a purpose-built sporting hub
to replace existing buildings
¯
Recreation:
Investigate future uses
for former Mornington Golf
Club building
Stanley Street removal
City to Sea Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed removal
0 55 110 220
metres
scale 1:5,100

Recreation:
Retain open space character
of Martin Luckie Park
Recreation:
Assess the impacts of
the golf course on public
access and other recreational
opportunities
Sector 6 - Golf Course / Mt Albert - eastern part
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Table 6: before maps
Recreation:
Investigate cycling and
walking link between Island
Bay and Berhampore
Vegetation management:
Maintain historic conifer
planting around Newtown
Park
Recreation:
Work with Wellington
Hockey to investiagte
a possible upgrade to the
National Hockey Stadium
Town Belt rationalisation:
Boundary changes to
Mt Albert Rd & Volga Street
legal boundaries subject to
survey, encroachment
restoration and consultation
Vegetation management:
Restore revegetated slopes
to native forest
¯
Recreation:
Retain open space character
of Melrose Park
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed addition
Proposed removal
0 62.5 125 250
metres
scale 1:6,000
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 135

8.7 Sector 7 Newtown/Crawford Road
8.7.1 Character and use
136 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Southern part
of Sector 7
between
Newtown and
Kilbirnie.
Note Carmichael
Reservoir in top
left of Town Belt.
This sector defines the eastern edge of Newtown occupying a lower part of the Mt Victoria/Mt
Albert ridge between Manchester Street and Mt Alfred (Sector 7: context map).
Most of this sector occupies the western-facing slopes above Newtown. The tall vegetation on the
ridgetop is an important backdrop seen from the eastern suburbs. The sector has varied character
from south to north with forested areas, open parkland and recreational development.
1. The conifer plantation from Manchester Street to Crawford Road, partly removed in
2010, forms a distinctive block of tall forest with some eucalypts and native regeneration on
the eastern slopes.
2. The Crawford Road saddle has areas of mixed vegetation along with mown grass.
3. A parkland area north of Crawford Road has scattered tree groupings of mixed species
with large open areas and sports and recreation clubrooms and facilities. The former Chest
Hospital is at the northern end.
4. A south-facing valley between Wellington Hospital and the Chest Hospital, known as
Vice Regal Park, was formerly part of Government House.
This area is mainly used for informal recreation. There is a network of tracks, including the
Southern Walkway.
There is a play area at Vice Regal Park and two dog exercise areas – at the corner of Owen and
Manchester streets and at Vice Regal Park.
There are two water reservoirs within the sector:
• public reservoir south of Coromandel Street
• reservoir off the northern end of Owen Street servicing the hospital and not part of the
citywide network.

8.7.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
There are five proposed additions to the Town Belt within this sector (Sector 7: context map).
These include part of Owen Street Road Reserve, Antico Street Reserve, Crawford Road land, Vice
Regal Park, and the former Chest Hospital land. Apart from the road reserve land at Owen Street,
these areas will be managed under this management plan. Please refer to Table 7 at the end of this
sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions and removals and boundary rationalisations.
Road reserve on the corner of Owen Street and Manchester Street. This is a small
grassed area of road reserve neighbouring the Town Belt in the vicinity of Manchester and Owen
streets. It contributes to the overall landscape values of this area and is already perceived to be
Town Belt. This will require the appropriate survey work, road stopping and formal inclusion into
the Town Belt through the proposed legislative change.
Antico Street Recreation Reserve: Located just south of Truby King Historic Reserve at 27
Antico Street, Melrose, this is 0.1617ha of steep vegetated gully next to the Town Belt. The
landscape and vegetation values are consistent with the Town Belt.
6 and 10 Crawford Road: The land was originally subject to the 1873 Town Belt Deed. It was
removed from the Town Belt to rehouse people moved from land required for airport development
during the 1950s. These two lots were not developed and are bush-covered sections in Council
ownership. The land is covered in vegetation and connects with the Town Belt. Landscape
character and values are consistent with the Town Belt. The land is zoned Open Space B.
Vice Regal Park: This reserve is located at the top of Coromandel Street between Wellington
Hospital, the former Chest Hospital and Wellington College. It is made up of 8.4ha of undulating
land dropping down towards Newtown and Wellington Hospital. The reserve features mixed
vegetation with areas of conifer forest, gorse and emergent native species woven between areas of
open mown grass.
This reserve forms a significant part of the green backdrop to Newtown. Although not physically
adjacent to the Town Belt, it is next to the Chest Hospital land (now owned by Wellington City
Council and proposed to become Town Belt). It is surrounded by areas of open space and
vegetation from neighbouring properties, such as Government House and Wellington College,
giving the perception of continuity. The reserve is accessible from Coromandel Street and the Chest
Hospital. There is also a track linking through to Wellington College. It is used for informal
recreation and includes a play area, dog exercise area and a concrete skating facility. The land was
part of the original Town Belt but was allocated for ‘lunatic asylum/college purposes’ in 1872. The
Crown transferred the land to the City for Town Belt purposes in the 1980’s.
Government House: The land owned by the Crown and used for Vice Regal/Head of State
purposes was part of the original Town Belt. There are strong economic and cultural benefits to
Wellington in continuing to be the home of the Vice Regal Representative. If the land, either in
whole or part, becomes surplus to the requirements of the Crown, then the Council will discuss
with the Crown the possible return of the land to the Town Belt.
Former Chest Hospital Land: The Chest Hospital land and buildings were transferred at no
cost to the Council in December 2002 by the Capital & Coast District Health Board. The land is
located between the Vice Regal Park and existing Town Belt land next to Alexandra Road. It also
borders Wellington College land along its northern boundary.
This land will strengthen the visual and physical continuity of the Town Belt within this sector. The
grass and vegetated areas of Lot 4 have complementary landscape values to that of adjoining Town
Belt. The land was part of the original Town Belt.
It is proposed this land be managed under this plan and added to the Town Belt with the flexibility
to enable appropriate and sustainable activities to take place consistent with the transfer
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 137 .

conditions agreed with the Crown. Please refer to section 8.7.3 Former Chest Hospital land
objectives and policies below.
Ministry of Education – the back portion of Wellington College and Wellington East
Girls’ College land: The land comprises the steep eastern slopes above Wellington College and
Wellington East Girls’ College and Alexandra Park sportsfield, which is used from time to time by
students.
The site is next to the Town Belt and together they make up the vegetated slopes of Mt Victoria.
The slopes are visually dominant from the central city and form the eastern most arm of the Town
Belt’s horseshoe shape. The site includes the summit of Mt Alfred and the site of Te Akatarewa Pā.
It is identified as the Te Ranga a Hiwi Precinct in the Wellington City Council’s District Plan.
The land was part of the Original Town Belt. In 1872 the land was allocated for a ‘Collegiate
Institution’ and in 1874 Wellington College was opened followed later by Wellington East Girls’
College. The land is owned by the Crown, and managed by the Ministry of Education.
It is included in the Deed of Settlement RFR land schedule and the Port Nicholson Block
Settlement Trust has the first right of refusal if the land is declared surplus.
From the assessment, the Council considers this land to be high priority for addition into the Town
Belt.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.7.2.1 To formally add the following areas to the Town Belt:
• road reserve on the corner of Owen Street and Manchester Street
138 .
• Antico Street Recreation Reserve
• 6 and 10 Crawford Road
• Vice Regal Park
• former Chest Hospital land to be managed in accordance with section 8.7.3 below.
8.7.2.2 The Council will initiate discussions with the Crown and Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust over the future ownership, status and use of the land formed by the steep eastern
slopes above Wellington College and Wellington East Girls’ College and Alexandra Park
sportsfield with the intention of returning these lands to the Town Belt.
8.7.3 Former Chest Hospital land
Background
The former Chest Hospital land (Chest Hospital) and buildings were transferred at no cost to the
Council in December 2002 by the Capital & Coast District Health Board. The land involves two lots
with a total area of 3.21ha. Lot 3 is the open space area around the buildings with Lot 4 containing
the Chest Hospital building, the Nurses Hostel and a covered walkway linking the two buildings.
These are all listed as Heritage Buildings in the Wellington District Plan. The Chest Hospital
Building is a Category II Historic Place. There is also a chapel, a boiler room and a small shed on
the site.
The acquisition was consistent with the Town Belt Reinstatement Policy 1998. The transfer from
the Crown was made on the basis the Council:
- accepted the buildings on an ‘as-is, where-is’ basis'
- recognised the heritage status of the buildings
- held it as reserve
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

- never sold any of the land or buildings.
In 2004 the Council issued a request for proposals for the future use of the facility. The SPCA
submitted the preferred proposal and in June 2007 the Council approved granting a lease to SPCA.
In August 2007 the SPCA entered into an agreement to lease.
The Council completed all exterior refurbishment works in February 2010, which consisted of:
• exterior refurbishment of the Chest Hospital building
• upgrade of the infrastructure (power, gas ,water) to the buildings
• exterior upgrade to the Nurses Home
• earthquake strengthening works to the Chest Hospital and Nurses Home (additional
strengthening is required to the Chest Hospital 2012/13).
As of July 2012, the SPCA was proposing to lease the Chest Hospital and contribute to the Council’s
planned capital upgrade works.
Objectives and policies
The objectives and polices relating to the Chest Hospital land and buildings need to allow
sustainable activities to take place that meet with the Crown’s land transfer conditions.
These objectives and policies will be sympathetic – but not necessarily consistent – with the
guiding principles and general objectives and policies of this management plan. The Chest Hospital
land and buildings will be managed in accordance with the following objectives and polices:
Objectives
• Manage the Chest Hospital land and buildings in a manner that seeks a longterm
sustainable use of the buildings while protecting and enhancing the site’s
heritage and reserve values.
Policies
8.7.3.1 Manage the Chest Hospital land and buildings in accordance with section 8.7.3 of this
plan. When inconsistencies occur between the general objectives and policies of this plan
and the Chest Hospital objective and policies, then the Chest Hospital objective and
policies prevail. This section takes precedence over the rules for use and development in
Chapter 9.
8.7.3.2 The heritage values of the Chest Hospital building, the Nurses Hostel and the covered
walkway linking the two buildings will be recognised and protected.
8.7.3.3 Any proposed development will be assessed against the proposals consistency with the
heritage listing in the District Plan.
8.7.3.4 The Council will continue to work with the Wellington SPCA in accordance with the terms
and conditions of the Agreement to Lease dated 31 August 2007.
8.7.3.5 If in the event the Agreement to Lease terminates then the Council will seek to find a longterm
sustainable use for the Chest Hospital, taking into account the following parameters:
• evidence of a ‘public good’ element
• strategic fit with Wellington 2040
• optimal use of resources/assets – including use of the buildings’ secluded
park-like setting
• environmental impact – does the use have the potential to adversely affect
heritage and reserve values?
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 139 .

140 .
• the extent of building modifications required
• demonstrated need and community support for the activity.
8.7.3.6 Public access will be maintained to the grounds and to the walking link between
Alexandra Road and Owen streets through the site.
8.7.4 Landscape and ecological management
The vegetation includes a conifer plantation between Manchester Street and Crawford Road with
some eucalypts and regenerating native vegetation and, north of Crawford Road, a parkland area of
open grass with scattered trees (Sector 7: landscape and existing vegetation map).
The area has undergone some major vegetation changes over the past 10 years. In particular:
• hazardous tree removal adjacent to residential properties in Kotinga Street and Owen Street
• tree removal and pruning of mature conifers along Alexandra Road
• major revegetation planting on Vice Regal Park next to Government House
• major tree removal and replanting around the Chest Hospital
• tree removal around the Kilbirnie Tennis Club.
This is part of the Mt Victoria/Mt Albert ridge where selective long-term use of conifers and
eucalypts will continue due to:
• site conditions where tall native trees may be difficult to establish
• high recreational use where forests with open understory are desirable.
The vegetation and its visual qualities need to be maintained as part of the scenic drive along
Alexandra Road.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.7.4.1 Manage the sports club area north of Crawford Road as open parkland with associated
ridgetop stands of conifer and eucalypts.
8.7.4.2 Retain a reduced area of conifer plantings as a landmark feature south of Crawford Road,
with native vegetation on the lower slopes.
8.7.4.3 Establish a commemorative tree planting area around the mown grass area between the
former Chest Hospital land and Table Tennis Club known as Victory Gardens to
acknowledge its historic use as a community garden.
8.7.5 Recreation
There are no large sportsfields in this sector given the steep topography, but a number of sporting
and community clubs with associated facilities have developed (Sector 7: current uses map). In the
south of the sector are:
• Workingmen's Club Bowling Club with two outdoor greens on Owen Street
• Kilbirnie Tennis Club, which has a clubhouse with five outdoor courts on Crawford
Road.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

In addition, there are a cluster of clubs on the western slopes of Mt Victoria/ Matairangi at the
southern end of Alexandra Road. The club facilities are clustered below the skyline within a
parkland setting that reduces their visual impact. It is important that any development in this area
does not change its character.
Cluster of club buildings north of Constable
Street, Newtown.
At top of photo the red roofed building is the
Mt Victoria Lifecare Rest Home situated
on Original Town Belt.
Policies – Recreation
These clubs comprise:
• Table Tennis Wellington
building.
• Wellington Harrier Athletic
Club building.
• Wellington Canine
Obedience Club, which leases a
building and outdoor area.
• Wellington Municipal
Croquet Club, which owns the
clubhouse next to the croquet
greens.
• Wellington Tennis Club,
which has a clubhouse and four
artificial courts.
Walking routes include the Southern
Walkway 38 and connections to local streets
and the neighbouring Truby King Park.
Alexandra Road is the main road to Mt
Victoria lookout (Sector 9). The lookout
area is the most visited part of the Town
Belt for residents. This area borders
Alexandra Road and provides a scenic
drive.
8.7.5.1 Protect the natural visual quality of Alexandra Road as an important scenic route through
the Town Belt.
8.7.5.2 Limit development of club facilities to their existing lease footprints to retain the parkland
character of this Town Belt sector.
8.7.6 Encroachments
A vehicle track, which provides access to the water reservoir off Owen Street, is also used by local
residents for drive-on access to several nearby private properties. As the Southern Walkway passes
along part of the length of this track, vehicle traffic is not only inappropriate but presents a
potential safety hazard. This track also attracts rubbish dumping because it is secluded and
accessible by car. A gate has been installed at Owen Street with private vehicle use being phased
out over time. No new access is being permitted.
Policy – Encroachments
8.7.6.1 Measures shall be taken to exclude all private vehicle use from the reservoir access track.
38 An 11km walkway from Oriental Bay to Island Bay
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 141 .

Hanson St
Tasman St
Adelaide Rd
Stoke St
Rintoul St
Myrtle Cres
John St
King St
Mt Cook
Hall St
Colomb o St
Kenwyn Tce
Waripori St
Berhampore
Lavau d St
Drummond St
Government House
Manley Tce
Luxford St
Blythe St
Brixham Way
Herald St
Stirling St
Drummond St
Nikau St
Milton St
Hugh St
Howell Ave
Regina Tce
Millward St
Herald St
Edin burgh Tce
Brown St
Penrose Ave
Florence St
Oxford St
Emmett St
Green St
Riddiford St
Gordo n Pl
Russell Tce
Angus Ave
Mein St
Wilson St
Constable St
Newto wn Ave
Normanby St
Mansfield St
Daniell St
Donald Mclean St
Arney St
Rhodes St
Horner St
Newto wn
Princess St
Roy St
Owen St
Cardall St
Harper St
Mt Victoria
Picton Ave
Somerset Ave
Regent St
Lawrence St
Wingate Tce
Roy St
Blucher Ave
Wilson St
Sector 7 - Newtown / Crawford Road
Context
Owen St
Manchester St
Hiropi St
Balmoral Tce
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
142 .
Wellington
Hospital
Vice Regal
Park
Ministry of Education
College land
Sector 6
Golf Course / Mt Albert
Corunna Ave
Douro Ave
Seddon Tce
Coromandel St
Antico St
Mt Victoria Tunnel
Alexandra Rd
Colville St
Manchester Tce
Melrose Cres
Sutherland Cres
Crawford Rd
Paeroa St
Melrose
Bella Vista
Sutherland Rd
Buckingham St
Ruahine St (Transit)
Henry St
Duncan Tce
Taurima St
Sector 8
Hataitai Park
Chest Hospital
Naughton Tce
Lerwick Tce
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Buckingham St
Wellington Rd
Rodrigo Rd
Goa St
Rodrigo Rd
Imperial Tce
Hinau Rd
Walmer St
Hataitai
Kupe St
Vallance St
Duncan Tce
Kilbirnie Cres
Tully St
Crawford Rd
Truby King Park
Antico Reserve
Bourke St
Queens Dr
Taurima St
Mo xham Ave
Raupo St
Hamilton Rd
Baden Rd
Crawford Road
Reserves
Busaco Rd
Kilbirnie
Childers Tce
Tapiri St
Bay Rd
Hataitai Rd
William St
Wellington Rd
Kilbirnie Park
Onepu Rd
Evans Bay Pde
Rongotai Rd
Cruickshank St
Cockburn St
Endeavour St
Palm Ave
Lyall Bay
Konini Rd
Waitoa Rd
Land managed as Town Belt
Drake St
Coutts St
Arcus Way
Overtoun Tce
Kemp St
Mahora St
Ross St
Endeavour St
Resolution St
Waipapa Rd
Tacy St
Matai Rd
Cobham Dr (Transit)
Evans Bay Pde
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
¯
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
Chest Hospital
Southern Walkway
Yule St
0 100 200 400
metres
scale 1:9,500

Emmett St
Green St
Gordo n Pl
Riddiford St
Wilson St
Russell Tce
Mein St
Wilson St
Newto wn Ave
Normanby St
Donald Mclean St
Arney St
Mansfield St
Ferg uson St
Rhodes St
Horner St
Princess St
Roy St
Reservoir
Constable St
Harper St
Daniell St
Roy St
Owen St
Wilson St
Cardall St
Blucher Ave
Picton Ave
Regent St
Lawrence St
Vice Regal
Play Area
Somerset Ave
Owen St
Manchester St
Hiropi St
Coromandel St
Balmoral Tce
Sector 7 - Newtown / Crawford Road
Current uses
Corunna Ave
Wellington Municipal
Croquet Club
Working Mens Club
Bowling Club
Seddon Tce
Wellington Tennis
Club
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Antico St
Alexandra Rd
Table Tennis Wellington
Wellington Canine
Obedience Club
Colville St
Wellington Harrier
Athletic Club
Crawford Rd
Paeroa St
Carmichael Reservoir
Kotinga St
Henry St
Ruahine St (Transit)
Duncan Tce
Wellington Rd
Samoa St
Kilbirnie
Tennis Club
Naughton Tce
Rodrigo Rd
Rodrigo Rd
Imperial Tce
Taurima St
Goa St
Kupe St
Henry St
Vallance St
Upper Bourke St
Walmer St
Duncan Tce
!(
Bourke St
Kilbirnie Cres
Tully St
Crawford Rd
Mo xham Ave
Childers Tce
Queens Dr
Zohrab St
Raupo St
Baden Rd
Busaco Rd
Wellington Rd
Tapiri St
Bay Rd
William St
Rongotai Rd
Cruickshank St
Cockburn St
Hamilton Rd
Overtoun Tce
Evans Bay Pde
Onepu Rd
Coutts St
¯
Main access points
!( Other access points
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Neighbourhood park
Dog exercise areas
Water facilities
Chest Hospital
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 143

Continuous green backdrop
to the inner suburbs and CBD
Sector 7 - Newtown / Crawford Road
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
144 .
Parkland character
interspersed with club
facilities
Significant ridgeline forming
backdrop to Newtown and
Kilbirnie
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Alexandra Road. A scenic
route through Town Belt
with a distinctive character
Native forest - 3.7ha
Native scrub/shrubland - 5.7ha
¯
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 1.1ha
Parkland/Arboretum - 0.6ha
Revegetation - 3.3ha
Pohutukawa stands - 0.4ha
Conifer dominant - 11.3ha
Eucalyptus dominant - 0.6ha
Grassland - 4.1ha
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300

Town Belt addition:
Seek return of part
WellingtonCollege lands
Manchester Street addition
Vegetation / Landscape:
Retain open space parkland
character along Alexandra
Road and around existing
club facilities
Access Encroachment:
Resolve private vehicle
use of access track from
Owen Street to Carmichael
Reservoir and beyond
Sector 7 - Newtown / Crawford Road
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Chest Hospital buildings and
associated facilities leased.
Adjacent open space remains
open and accessible to the public
Vegetation / Landscape:
'Victory Gardens' commemorative
tree planting area
¯
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed addition
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 145

Table 7: Town Belt additions, removals and boundary rationalisations – Newtown/ Crawford Road sector
Site name Legal description
and area
Antico
Street
Recreation
Reserve
land
Road
Reserve on
corner of
Owen and
Manchester
Street
6 & 10
Crawford
Road
Former
Chest
Hospital
land
146
The land is described as
Lot 2, DP 80801, CT
47B/602, comprising
0.1617ha, vested as
Recreation Reserve on
the deposit of plan
80801.
Description, location,
current use
Located just south of the Truby
King Historic Reserve, this land
borders Town Belt land (CT
46D/912) and is zoned Open
Space B.
Legal road. This is a small grassed area of
Road Reserve adjoining the
Town Belt in the vicinity of
Manchester and Owen streets.
The land, in two lots, is
Recreation Reserve,
subject to the Reserves
Act 1977. It is described
as Lots 35 and 36, DP
17934, CT 42D/764.
Lot 35 is at 6 Crawford
Road and comprises
0.1408ha. Lot 36 is at
10 Crawford Road and
comprises 0.1587ha.
Lot 3 DP 316137 , 2.3ha
grass and vegetated
open space
Lot 4 DP 316137, 0.9ha,
contains the former
chest hospital
buildings.
The land was originally subject
to the 1873 Town Belt Deed. It
was removed from the Town
Belt to rehouse people moved
from land required for airport
development during the 1950s.
These two lots were not
developed and are bush covered
sections in Council ownership.
The land is zoned Open Space B.
The former Chest Hospital land
and buildings were transferred
at no cost to the Council in
December 2002 by the Capital &
Coast District Health Board. The
land is located between Vice
Regal Park and existing Town
Belt land next to Alexandra
Road. It also borders Wellington
College land along its northern
boundary.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
These two lots have been identified in
the TBMP 1995 (pages 16–17, figure 4,
9B) as potential additions to the Town
Belt.
The TBMP 1995 states:
The Council shall negotiate for the
former Chest Hospital site to be
returned to the Town Belt, as part of
acquiring Area 9a.
In the event of acquiring the Chest
Hospital site, use of the existing
buildings by suitable occupants shall
continue and the historic value of the
Chest Hospital recognised, but
replacement of the buildings shall not
be permitted (part 2, page 30).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The land is not original Town Belt,
but has similar environmental
characteristics and values to the
adjoining Town Belt and its
vegetation. This lot also provides
an important physical link from
Antico Street into the Town Belt.
All these factors are strong reasons
for including this land into the
Town Belt.
This land contributes to the overall
landscape values of this area and is
already perceived to be Town Belt.
The land is covered in vegetation
and borders the Town Belt.
Landscape character and values are
consistent with the Town Belt.
It will strengthen the visual and
physical continuity of the Town
Belt. The grass and vegetated areas
of Lot 4 have complementary
landscape values to that of
adjoining Town Belt land.
The land was part of the Original
Town Belt.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The land should be
included in the Town
Belt.
This Road Reserve
should be added to
the Town Belt
following survey and
road stopping.
The two lots, at 6 and
10 Crawford Road,
Kilbirnie Heights,
described as Lots 35
& 36, DP17934, CT
42D/764, should be
added to the Town
Belt.
Chest Hospital land
should be added to
the Town Belt.
Yes
No, currently
legal road but
should be
managed
consistently
with TBMP
policies.
Yes
Yes

Site name Legal description
and area
Vice Regal
Park
Government
House
The land is described
as:
Section 1342 Town of
Wellington, comprising
0.3462ha. It is vested
in Wellington City
Council in trust as a
reserve for recreation
purposes, CT 38A/760.
NZ Gazette 1990, page
143.
Section 1324 Town of
Wellington, comprising
8.1142ha. It is vested in
the Wellington City
Council in trust as a
reserve for recreation
purposes, CT 22C/3.
The land comprises
11.1942ha and is
described as Pt Sec
1248 Town of
Wellington. It is
Government Purpose
Reserve (Vice Regal
Residence), NZ Gazette
1984 page 5470.
Description, location,
current use
This reserve area comprises land
held in two parcels located at the
top end of Coromandel Street,
situated between Wellington
Hospital land, Chest Hospital
land and Wellington College
land.
The reserve features mixed
vegetation with areas of conifer
forest, gorse and emergent
native species woven between
areas of open mown grass.
The Vice Regal Residence or
Government House is located on
the eastern side of Adelaide
Road, between Wellington
College and Wellington
Hospital. It can be accessed
from the corner of Rugby and
Dufferin streets off the Basin
Reserve.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The TBMP 1998 states:
In 1981, the Crown returned 8.1ha of
land to the citizens of Wellington at no
cost. The land formed part of the
current Vice Regal property
originally allocated for such purposes
in 1872 but was essentially not
utilised. The Crown accepted that the
land was originally envisaged for
Town Belt reserve and was suitable
for such purposes (page 11).
The TBMP, 1995: states that this land,
which was handed back to the city free
of charge, needs to be reinstated to
Town Belt status (page 17).
The TBRP 1998 states:
The current Council policy is to seek
land ownership of all the Vice Regal
land with a lease back to the Crown.
This policy cannot be enforced by the
Council and relies on cooperation
from the Crown. However, the Crown
opposes the policy. No progress has
therefore been achieved.
There is unlikely to be any land
declared surplus to Vice Regal
requirements and there are strong
economic and cultural benefits to
Wellington in continuing to be the
home of the Vice Regal representative
or any future Head of State.
Accordingly, the policy is to seek
agreement in principle from the
Crown that should the land ever be
surplus to Vice Regal/Head of State
purposes, the land be transferred to
the Council for Town Belt purposes.
(page 19)
This reserve forms a significant
part of the green backdrop to
Newtown. Although not physically
connected to the Town Belt, it is
next to the Chest Hospital land. It
is surrounded by areas of open
space and vegetation from
Government House and Wellington
College, giving the perception of
continuity. The reserve is accessible
from Coromandel Street and the
Chest Hospital. There is also a
track linking through to Wellington
College. It is used for informal
recreation and includes a play area,
dog exercise area and a concrete
skating facility. The land was part
of the original Town Belt but was
allocated for ‘lunatic
asylum/college purposes’ in 1872.
The Crown transferred the land to
the City for Town Belt purposes.
The land currently owned by the
Crown and used for Vice
Regal/Head of State purposes was
part of the original Town Belt.
There are strong economic and
cultural benefits to Wellington
continuing to be the home of the
Vice Regal Representative.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The Vice Regal Park
which is Council
Recreation Reserve
land, held in CTs
22C/3 and 38A/760,
comprising 8.46ha,
should be added to
the Town Belt.
If the land either in
whole or part become
surplus to the
requirements of the
Crown, then the
Council will discuss
with the Crown the
possible return of the
land to the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 147
Yes
No

Site name Legal description
and area
Hospital The area comprises
Road/Hugh 0.1695ha and is
St Play Area described as Part Town
Belt, situated in Block
XI, Port Nicholson
Survey District, Town
of Wellington. It is held
as a reserve for a
children’s playground
and vested in
Wellington City
Council. Part New
Zealand Gazette, 1945,
page 260 and 306.
Ministry of
Education
land
‘College
land’
148
The College land is
located between
Patterson Street,
Alexandra Road and
the Vice Regal
residence. It is the site
for Wellington College
and Wellington East
Girls College. The land
is described as Part
section 1078 on the
Plan of the City of
Wellington, comprising
0.0799ha, held in NZ
Gazette notice
096525.1.
Part of the Town Belt
reserve and parts of the
College Site reserve,
comprising 23.9662ha,
held in NZ Gazette
notice 096525.1.
Description, location,
current use
This reserve area is located off
Hospital Road, behind Councilowned
properties in Hugh Street
and next to the Vice Regal
residence. It is a small grassed
area and, although it is
described as a children’s play
area, the land contains no play
equipment.
The land is owned by the Crown,
and managed by the Ministry of
Education.
The land includes the steep
eastern slopes above Wellington
College and Wellington East
Girls College and Alexandra
Park sportsfield, which is used
from time to time by students.
This land is included in the Deed
of Settlement RFR Land
Schedule and the Port Nicholson
Block Settlement Trust has the
first right of refusal if the land is
declared surplus.
Background information:
The land was originally part of
the New Zealand Company’s
belt of land for ‘public purposes’.
In 1872 the land was allocated
for the purposes of a Collegiate
Institution and in 1874
Wellington College opened.
Some time after that Wellington
East Girls College was opened.
The land is therefore not subject
to the 1873 Deed for Town Belt
reserves purposes.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
This small reserve is isolated from
any existing Town Belt land by the
Vice Regal lands. It is considered
that while the Vice Regal land is
used for Head of State purposes it
is not justifiable to have this
reserve land included in the Town
Belt. It is a reserve, and with
Recreation Reserve classification
has suitable protection.
The TBRP 1998 states:
The current Council policy is to seek
land ownership of all the college land
with a lease back to the Ministry of
Education of the land not crosshatched
on Map 5. This policy cannot
be enforced by the Council and relies
on cooperation from the Ministry and
colleges. The Ministry and colleges
oppose the policy. No progress has
therefore been achieved in respect of
any college land.
The policy is that the Council initiate
negotiations with the Ministry of
Education, colleges and the Crown for
the cross-hatched land to be
transferred to the Council for Town
Belt purposes, in whole or in part.
Negotiations should also seek
agreement in principle that any land
declared surplus to college
requirements in the future would be
transferred to the Council for Town
Belt purposes. The above should be
advanced in the context of a
partnership between the Council,
Ministry of Education and the colleges
(page 18–19).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
The open space land behind the
colleges, including Alexandra Park,
connects with the Town Belt and
together they make up the
vegetated slopes of Mt Victoria. The
slopes are visually dominant from
the central city and form the
easternmost arm of the Town Belt’s
horseshoe shape. The land includes
the summit of Mt Alfred and the
site of Te Akatarewa Pā. It is
identified as the Te Ranga a Hiwi
Precinct in the Wellington City
Council’s District Plan.
The land was part of the Original
Town Belt. In 1872 the land was
allocated for a Collegiate
Institution and in 1874 Wellington
College was opened followed later
by Wellington East Girls College.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
No action required. No
It is recommended
that the Council will
work in partnership
with the Port
Nicholson Block
Settlement Trust and
the Crown and
relevant Crown
agencies regarding
the reinstatement to
Town Belt status of
the open space land
behind Wellington
College and
Wellington East Girls
College.
No

8.8 Sector 8 Hataitai Park
The recreation hub at Hataitai Park.
Note badminton hall at top of picture and Velodrome at bottom centre.
8.8.1 Character and use
The sector occupies the east face of the Mt Victoria ridge. Its entire western boundary is formed by
Alexandra Road, which runs along the top of the ridge. Ruahine Street and Hapua Road form much
of the eastern boundary (Sector 8: context map).
The east-facing slope of Mt Victoria has two distinct parts. There is a distinct contrast between the
southern area, subject to intense recreation use, and the northern part, a less-used more secluded
area.
• The area between the Mt Victoria summit and the Mt Victoria Tunnel features undeveloped
slopes containing regenerating native vegetation with scattered clusters of pine trees on the
skyline.
• South of the tunnel the lower ground is occupied by a major sport and recreation park
(Hataitai Park) mainly screened from view by landform and vegetation. The slopes above
the sports hub are forested with a mosaic of exotic species, with a native understory
developing in several places. Next to Ruahine Street is an open grass glade and clusters of
ornamental trees and shrubs sloping down to the road.
The area is an important green backdrop to Hataitai and the eastern suburbs. Tree height on the
skyline emphasises the landform. The south-east aspect is favourable to native and broadleaf exotic
species.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 149 .

The sector is a highly visible ‘green space’ between State Highway One (Ruahine Street) and
Alexandra Road (the main road to the Mt Victoria lookout).
This area is mainly used for formal recreation – 44 percent of Wellington residents had used this
area in the past six months, 23 percent had never visited. There is a large sporting hub with
facilities for sports including softball, netball, tennis, football, rugby, badminton, gymnastics, darts
and cycling.
A network of tracks, including part of the Southern Walkway 39 , provide varied walking
opportunities through forest and open glades, many of which connect with the Town Belt and local
streets in Hataitai. There is a bike skills area at the southern end as well as a dog exercise area.
8.8.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
There are no proposed additions to the Town Belt in this sector. However the northern section of
Ruahine Street is on the Town Belt. The area has never been removed from the Town Belt and
declared legal road. There is also a narrow strip of Town Belt land running from Goa Street to
Wellington Road located between private properties and Ruahine Street. It contains a number of
mature pohutukawa trees.
State Highway 1: In July/August 2011, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) sought public
feedback on “The Inner City Transport Network: Improvements for a Successful Capital City”.
The proposal includes:
• a bridge to the north of the Basin Reserve to improve traffic flows and reduce journey times
for public transport
• a second Mt Victoria Tunnel to the north of the existing one (two lanes east-bound)
• widening Ruahine Street and Wellington Road. In places, particularly near Badminton Hall,
the encroachment into Town Belt could exceed the existing designation boundary
• a new pedestrian and cycle path between Cobham Drive and the Basin Reserve.
The Council’s position is that:
• It supports the alignment of the Mt Victoria tunnel to the north of the existing tunnel.
• While it has various impacts that need to be considered, the option of widening Ruahine
Street to the west (requiring the compulsory acquisition of Town Belt land) is preferable to
widening into the residential area to the east.
• It will seek to minimise the widening of the street on to the Town Belt.
• If the second Mt Victoria Tunnel and widening of Ruahine Street goes ahead, the New
Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will need to acquire part of the Town Belt, which is held
in trust by the Council. During that process the Council will need to make decisions on its
role as trustee under the Town Belt Deed 1873.
The impacts of the proposal on the Town Belt include:
• the loss of land
• landscape impacts
• loss of amenity and changes to the character of parts of the Town Belt next to Ruahine
Street
• displacement of recreational activities, particularly badminton and the dog exercise area,
and the displacement of Hataitai Kindergarten
39 An 11km walkway from Oriental Bay to Island Bay
150 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• loss of mature trees and indigenous vegetation
• improved vehicle access at Goa Street
• changes to parking in Ruahine Street and traffic impacts in Moxham Avenue that are likely
to impact on the demand for parking at Hataitai Park.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.8.2.1 The Council will continue working with NZTA to identify options for reducing or
mitigating the impacts of State Highway 1 on the Town Belt and in particular Hataitai
Park.
8.8.2.2 Also refer to policy 2.9.3 re: The Crown taking Town Belt land.
8.8.3 Landscape and ecological management
The vegetation and its visual qualities need to be carefully managed as this is a highly visible area,
especially the boundary with Alexandra Road and along State Highway 1.
The landscape has changed little over the past 15 years with few tree removals. The large mature
conifers next to Alexandra Road have undergone major pruning. In addition there have been
revegetation plantings on the Hataitai to City Walkway.
The northern area, between the road tunnel and Mt Victoria faces east and native shrubland is
regenerating well. Along the ridgeline are a number of mature conifers that provide a backdrop to
the ridgeline and will be retained as long as practicable (Sector 8: landscape and existing vegetation
map).
The mixed planting around Hataitai Park and the native regeneration above the park provide a
green framework for the recreation facilities and need to be retained and enhanced to mitigate the
visual effects of this hub.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.8.3.1 Return the northern wedge to native coastal forest and gradually remove the mature
conifers on the eastern side of Alexandra Road.
8.8.3.2 Perpetuate and diversify the mixed forest in and around Hataitai Park as both a visual
backdrop and a recreational environment, in particular preserving the mature tree
framework.
8.8.3.3 Retain conifers on the skyline to emphasise the landform, provide shelter and integrate
with vegetation types on the west side.
8.8.4 Recreation
Hataitai Park is one of the largest sporting hubs in the city and has facilities for formal recreation,
including two playing fields, softball diamonds, a velodrome cycle track and 14 netball/tennis
courts (Sector 8: current uses map). There are a number of associated pavilion buildings and
clubrooms, including two club-owned gymnasiums. Facilities are leased to:
• Harbour City Gym Sports, which owns and manages the indoor gym behind the
Wellington Football club building
• Marist St Pats Rugby Football Club clubrooms next to the Velodrome (note their home
ground is Evans Bay park
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 151 .

• Netball Wellington Centre administration building
• St George Softball Club
• Wellington Football Club , with a sub lease to darts
• Wellington Badminton Association owns an eight-court facility with associated pro
shop and has a ground lease covering the building and adjacent car park.
Wellington Badminton Club has proposed to build an extension to Badminton Hall to add three
courts. This proposal was declined by planning commissioners in 2010 and appealed to the
Environment Court by the club in 2011. The development was approved by the Environment Court.
However, Action for the Environment appealed the decision to the High Court. The appeal was
heard in May 2012. On 13 th July 2012 the High Court dismissed the appeal. The club has not yet
applied for landowner approval for this extension through a variation to their current lease.
In addition the Hataitai Kindergarten occupies an elevated site just south of the Mt Victoria
tunnel portal off Taurima Street.
The Southern Walkway goes through this area and there is a bike skills area at the southern end. A
dog exercise area is also provided.
A 2007 report identified several issues with Hataitai Park:
• The number and configuration of buildings on the park does not meet the needs of the
various organisations using or leasing facilities on the park.
• There is only one vehicle entrance off Ruahine Street (which is part of State Highway 1).
Some sports activities create high volume of vehicles wishing to enter and leave the park,
particularly netball.
• There is an insufficient number of car parks to cope with the large number of users at peak
times.
Improvements to parking, lighting and access have been undertaken. Some of the demand from
netball on Saturdays has been removed with the opening of the ASB Community Sports Centre at
Kilbirnie. However, Netball Wellington may move its satellite leagues to Hataitai Park.
The Wellington Darts Club building has been sold to Harbour City Gym Sports.
The 2007 report recommended the preparation of a plan to develop this park as a recreation and
sport hub. The report also recommended a landscape plan be developed for the Ruahine Street
(SH1) frontage to reflect the amenity value and prominent location as part of the ‘city gateway’
from the airport to the CBD.
Policies – Recreation
8.8.4.1 Establish a Hataitai Park Advisory Group of sporting organisations to develop a long-term
master plan for the park, which includes:
• retaining the landscape character of the hub while allowing flexibility for
sporting development
152 .
• developing a landscape plan for the changed Ruahine Street frontage to reflect its
amenity value and prominent location
• Working with NZTA regarding potential changes to access and parking as a result
of the state highway development
• rationalisation and/or sharing of sporting infrastructure and buildings wherever
possible. In particular, an assessment over the future of the velodrome.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

• working with Wellington Badminton and NZTA to look for suitable alternative
locations for Badminton Hall if it is confirmed that the hall will be affected by the
state highway development.
8.8.4.2 Protect the natural character of Alexandra Road, as an important scenic route through the
Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 153 .

College St
Te Aro
Cambridge Tce
Ellice St
Mt Cook
Dufferin St
Wilson St
Kent Tce
Hania St
Daniell St
Normanby St
Home St
Mo ir St
Brougham St
Paterson St
Owen St
Owen St
Constable St
Newto wn
Pirie St
Mt Victoria
Austin St
Ellice St Hataitai Rd
Mein St
Wilson St
Cardall St
Harper St
Mo ncrieff St
Armour Ave
Tutch en Ave
Porritt Ave
Somerset Ave
Sector 8 - Hataitai Park
Context
Austin Tce
Hiropi St
Queen St
Scarborough Tce
Corunna Ave
Douro Ave
Seddon Tce
Coromandel St
Elizab eth St
Westbou rne Gr
Rixo n Gr
Mt Victoria Tunnel
Alexandra Rd
Crawford Rd
Colville St
Bosworth Tce
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
154 .
Wellington College
Chest Hospital
Wellington East
Girls College
Sector 7
Newtown / Crawford Road
Paeroa St
Crawford Rd
Mt Victoria Bus Tunnel
Ruahine St (Transit)
Henry St
Sector 9
Mt Victoria
Wellington Rd
Hinau Rd
Taurima St
Goa St
Vallance St
Kupe St
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Walmer St
Kilbirnie Cres
Hapua St
Taurima St
Alexandra Lookout Rd
Mo xham Ave
Rakau Rd
Raupo St
Hamilton Rd
Baden Rd
Zohrab St
Kilbirnie
William St
Wellington Rd
Upoko Rd
Tapiri St
Busaco Rd
Waitoa Rd
Hataitai
Evans Bay Pde
Marewa Rd
Konini Rd
Looko ut Rd
Drake St
Roseneath
Arcus Way
Waipapa Rd
Overtoun Tce
Cobham Dr (Transit)
Rewa Rd
Belvedere Rd
Hepara St
Ariki Rd
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
Hohiria Rd
Huia Rd
¯
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
Cobham Dr (Transit)
Matai Rd
Rata Rd
0 85 170 340
metres
scale 1:8,000

Hania St
Mo ir St
Home St
Owen St
Brougham St
Paterson St
Owen St
Mein St
Ellice St
Constable St
Armour Ave
Picton Ave
Wilson St
Porritt Ave
Somerset Ave
Tutch en Ave
Austin Tce
Hiropi St
Coromandel St
Queen St
Pirie St
Corunna Ave
Seddon Tce
Sector 8 - Hataitai Park
Current uses
Elizab eth St
Austin St
Scarborough Tce
Rixo n Gr
Mt Victoria Tunnel
Alexandra Rd
Bosworth Tce
Westbou rne Gr
Mt Victoria Bus Tunnel
Marist St Pats
Rugby Club
St George
Softball Club
Harbour City
Gym Sports
Crawford Rd
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Henry St
Ruahine St (Transit)
Taurima St
Mo xham Ave
Wellington Rd
Samoa St
Hinau Rd
Walmer St
Goa St
Kupe St
Henry St
Kilbirnie Cres
Hapua St
Alexandra Lookout Rd
Netball Wellington
Centre
Taurima St
Wellington Softball
Association
Rakau Rd
Tapiri St
Mo xham Ave
Raupo St
Baden Rd
Wellington Badminton
Association
Zohrab St
Wellington Rd
William St
Upoko Rd
Hataitai Rd
Busaco Rd
Konini Rd
Hataitai Kindergarten
Waitoa Rd
!(
Drake St
Hamilton Rd
Arcus Way
Waipapa Rd
Overtoun Tce
Cobham Dr (Transit)
Marewa Rd
Rewa Rd
Belvedere Rd
Main access points
Hepara St
!( Other access points
Cobham Dr (Transit)
Ariki Rd
Huia Rd
Hohiria Rd
Evans Bay Pde
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
Bike skills area
Dog exercise areas
¯
Matai Rd
Rata Rd
Sport and Recreation park
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 155 .

Sector 8 - Hataitai Park
Landscape and existing vegetation
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
156 .
Major sports hub with
green framework of
mature trees
Clusters of mature pines
characteristic of ridgeline
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Undeveloped slopes of
regenerating native vegetation
Green edge to Ruahine Street
provides attractive gateway
to city from airport
Native forest - 17.8ha
¯
Native scrub/shrubland - 0.008ha
Revegetation - 1ha
Pohutukawa stands - 1.2ha
Conifer dominant - 3.8ha
Exotic scrub/shrubland
Eucalyptus dominant - 0.01ha
Grassland - 6.9ha
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300

Vegetation / Landscape:
Retain conifers on
skyline
Recreation:
Develop long-term master
plan for Hataitai Park
Sector 8 - Hataitai Park
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
State Highway 1. Work
with NZTA to reduce or
mitigate the impact of SH1
development on Hataitai
Park and the Town Belt
Recreation:
Develop new track link
between Rakau Road and
Lookout Road
Vegetation / Landscape:
Retain and enhance
mixed forest framework
around Hataitai Park
¯
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
0 75 150 300
metres
scale 1:7,300
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 157 .

Table 8: Town Belt additions and boundary rationalisation – Hataitai sector
Site name Legal
description and
Pohutukawa
strip next to
Ruahine
Street
Ruahine
Street
158 .
area
This land is legally
defined as Town
Belt and
contained in CT
48B/341.
Area marked
green on DP
81724, being part
of the land in CT
48B/341.
Description, location, current
use
This is a narrow strip of land
running from Goa Street to
Wellington Road, between private
residential properties and Ruahine
Street, Hataitai.
The stretch of Ruahine Street, from
Taurima to Raupo streets is still
Town Belt land. This portion of
Ruahine Street has never formally
been made legal road.
This land is subject to the New
Zealand Transport Agency’s roading
project “The Inner City Transport
Network: Improvements for a
Successful Capital City”.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The TBMP 1995
recommends that this land
be transferred to Road
Reserve and have its Town
Belt status removed.
The TBMP 1995 states:
To regularise (making
inconsistent legal and
physical boundaries
consistent) the legal status of
Ruahine Street and, if
necessary, make provision
for an isolation strip on the
east side of Ruahine Street
(part 2, page 33).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Refer to Ruahine Street below. Refer to Ruahine Street
below.
The Inner City Transport
Network: Improvements for a
Successful Capital City proposal
includes:
A second Mt Victoria Tunnel to
the north of the existing one
(two lanes east-bound).
Widening Ruahine Street and
Wellington Road.
An option is to widen Ruahine
Street to the west into the Town
Belt.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
The Council will continue
working with NZTA to
identify options for reducing
or mitigating the impacts of
the State Highway 1 on the
Town Belt and, in particular,
Hataitai Park.
In situations where the
Crown proposes to take Town
Belt land for a public work,
then the Council will pursue
its replacement with Crown
Land of equal value.
Yes
Yes

8.9 Sector 9 Mt Victoria/Matairangi
8.9.1 Character and use
Looking south from Mt Victoria/Matairangi
This sector lies at the north end of the long ridge forming the eastern arm of the Town Belt. The
area extends from Mt Alfred north to the slopes of Oriental Bay (Sector 9: context map).
There are three distinct areas.
1. The ridge is a long narrow strip of open ground with scattered tree groups that slope
southwards for one kilometre from the Mt Victoria summit to Mt Alfred with generally
easy gradients. Alexandra Road runs along the ridge.
2. The city slopes above the suburb of Mt Victoria are generally sunny, dry and exposed to
the north-westerly wind. These are generally steep slopes dominated by pine and
macrocarpa trees with areas of eucalypt and pohutukawa plantings. An understory of
native vegetation and some exotic species are regenerating on more favourable sites,
generally where there is more moisture, in the gullies and on the lower slopes. Open
ground is generally confined to the less visible low ground.
3. The Oriental Bay slopes occupy the mid-slopes with housing above and below, dropping
down to sea level at the north end of Oriental Parade. This is also generally steep ground,
sunny, dry and exposed to the north-westerly wind. There is a mosaic of vegetation types,
including stands of conifers, eucalypt and pohutukawa, areas of rank and mown grassland,
and areas of both exotic and native secondary growth.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 159 .

Town Belt between Mount Victoria and Hataitai
bisected by Alexandra Road.
8.9.2 Land addition and boundary rationalisation
160 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Mt Victoria is the most
intensively used forest
area on the Town Belt
according to recent
market research with 95
percent of residents
having visited and 68
percent visiting at least
once every six months.
The lookout area
provides extensive views
and information on the
city and Town Belt. The
forest provides shelter,
shade and a variety of
environments able to
withstand heavy use.
This is a popular area
for mountain biking.
The proposed additions to the Town Belt in this sector include Mt Victoria Lookout area, open
space lands along Lookout Road, and Point Jerningham Reserve (Sector 9: context map). This
totals 15.60 ha. This land is covered under this management plan.
Please refer to Table 9 at the end of this sector for a complete list of Town Belt land additions,
removals and boundary rationalisations.
Mt Victoria Lookout area: The land described as the Mt Victoria Lookout includes the
southern section of Lookout Road, the area around the Byrd Memorial, the lower car park and the
lookout platform on top of the Mt Victoria summit.
It was originally part of the Town Belt as set aside by the New Zealand Company, but was allocated
for public purposes or public utility before 1873. The land was originally used as a signal station by
the Harbour Board and subsequently vested in Wellington City Council for road and pleasure
ground purposes.
In 2006, the Council completed a major redevelopment of the Mt Victoria/Matairangi Lookout to
retain and enhance its role as a major visitor destination.
Mt Victoria Lookout is a prominent high point at the eastern end of the Town Belt’s horseshoe. It is
a very obvious landmark and a focal point from the central city. This is accentuated by the steep
unvegetated road cut below the lookout.
The site links physically and visually with existing Town Belt land and the adjacent Lookout Road
Open Space land (recommended to also become Town Belt).
The site is accessible, with car parking available at the lower car park off Lookout Road, and an
informal track leading south along the Te Ranga a Hiwi ridgeline, to the site of the historical Te
Akatarewa Pā.
The site has significant historical and cultural significance to mana whenua.

Lookout Road Open Space land: In 2000 the Council surveyed and gazetted the northern
section of Lookout Road. The process created nine sections of land zoned Open Space B, located
from the Mt Victoria Lookout, going north along Lookout Road to Alexandra Road.
These sections do not have any reserve status or protection.
The three sites below Lookout Road are steep west-facing slopes, mainly covered in gorse with
some emergent native and exotic species. A track linking Mt Victoria Lookout with the Southern
Walkway goes through the larger of the three sites.
The area around the Centennial Memorial has been redeveloped to replace a water reservoir and
incorporate a lookout/seating area, and a track linking down to a mown grass area and to
Alexandra Road.
The area between the transmitter mast and Mt Victoria Lookout is part of the ridgeline. The trig
station is on this section of land. There have been two formal access easements granted off this
driveway to private residential dwellings. An informal track has been created over the land.
The remaining section of land is adjacent to and a continuation of the grassy slope running from
the top car park of the Mt Victoria Lookout down to Alexandra Road.
These sections of land are visually part of the Mt Victoria Lookout and ridgeline landscape, which
provides a strong focal point from the central city. They are continuous with existing Town Belt
land and creates a link (both visually and physical) from the Mt Victoria Lookout to the Centennial
Memorial.
Panoramic views across the city, harbour and Town Belt can be experienced from different parts of
this land and along Lookout Road. It is important that these views are protected.
Some parts of this land is suited for passive recreation, such as sightseeing, picnicking and walking.
The areas below Lookout Road are steep but a track linking Robieson Street with Lookout Road
could be developed in the future.
This land was never part of the original Town Belt or held under the Town Belt Deed.
Point Jerningham Reserve: Point Jerningham is made up of the coastal area of land and steep
escarpment that lies at the very eastern end of Oriental Bay Parade. It can be accessed from Carlton
Gore Road and Oriental Bay Parade. The escarpment is too steep to be accessible but has
significant landscape value given its prominent city location.
There is a building on part of the Recreation Reserve, which is owned and used by a Dance Club.
The land is also the firing base for the Defence Forces ceremonial salute, comprising two buildings
and a concrete pad. It is used several times a year for this purpose.
The escarpment is mainly covered by gorse with some emergent native or exotic species.
Point Jerningham is prominent visually from the central city. The Recreation Reserve and
escarpment extends the green backdrop to the central city by visually linking the existing Town Belt
with the harbour. The site is a natural extension to the Town Belt.
This land was not part of the original Town Belt as set out by the New Zealand Company, but does
have high historical value given that it was used for military purposes in the First and Second
World Wars.
Policies – Land additions and boundary rationalisations
8.9.2.1 Formally add the following areas to Town Belt:
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 161 .

162 .
• Mt Victoria lookout land
• Lookout Road Open Space lands
• 150 Alexandra Road
• Point Jerningham Reserve.
8.9.2.2 The Hataitai bus tunnel passing under the Town Belt land should be surveyed. Following
the survey, the legal status of the subsoil, used for tunnel purposes, should be legally
removed from the Town Belt and then gazetted road.
8.9.3 Landscape and ecological management
The vegetation needs to be carefully managed as this is a highly visible area, especially the
boundary with Alexandra Road and Palliser Road.
This calls for a conservative approach to vegetation management. Simple large-scale vegetation
patterns are required to protect the visual unity of this important city backdrop.
Vegetation choices are influenced by the north-west aspect with exposure to drying winds and the
steep slopes with little soil cover.
Some of the earliest plantings of conifers occurred at Pirie Street. This sector still contains
extensive areas of exotic conifers (Sector 9: landscape and existing vegetation map). Native species
are regenerating in the understory.
A return to native vegetation would result in low diversity coastal forest on the higher ground with
taller species confined to the moister gullies.
Mt Victoria is in a very strategic ecological location given its height and the fact it is roughly an
equal distance from Maupuia/Watts peninsula, Te Ahumairangi Hill, Waimapihi/Polhill Gully and
Karori Sanctuary. The taller mature forest canopy is a key stepping stone especially for our larger
bird species. It is proposed to continue with the mixed vegetation patterns and have a staged
approach to vegetation management on Mt Victoria. It is important to ensure the taller tree species
are replaced through succession planting.
Mt Victoria from above Central Park in
Brooklyn, 1907
(Wellington City Council Collection, Alexander Turnbull
Library, G 025451 1/1)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Mt Victoria from above Central Park in
Brooklyn, 2012

Over the past 15 years, there have been the following changes:
• conifer removal (limited to removal of a large stand above Telford Terrace)
• revegetation of gullies above Oriental Bay
• shrubland revegetation around the Mt Victoria summit as part of its redevelopment
• development of a commemorative planting area in Charles Plimmer Park, which is now full.
The summit ridge between the Centennial Memorial and Mt Victoria Lookout is largely unbuilt. In
2000, when the northern end of Lookout Road was partially legalised, it was proposed to establish
an isolation strip along the rear of properties on Robieson Street to prevent development and
access onto the summit ridge. Several property owners along the newly legalised road negotiated a
settlement to prevent the strip being laid. Most were along the built edge at the northern end. One
property, at what is now 34 Lookout Road, was on a more visible part of the ridge as seen from the
Mt Victoria lookout. The Council has had several requests from other property owners on Robieson
Street to have the isolation strip removed. The Council has always declined these applications
because of the potential affects on the Town Belt and landscape character of the ridgeline.
There are two community groups working in this sector:
Mt Vic Revegers have been working for many years to revegetate the slopes of Mt Victoria with
native plants. Recently they have been joined by the Rotary Club of Wellington who have
commenced an enhancement planting project on Mt Victoria called “City to Summit” to celebrate
their Centenary in 2021. The objectives of the project are:
1. enhancing ecological values and scenic quality in one of central Wellington’s most popular
tourist and walking areas, and
2. fostering a sense of community through the participation and interaction of a range of
community groups, including Wellington Rotary.
Policies – Landscape and ecological management
8.9.3.1 Retain the isolation strips along the ridgeline between the Centennial Memorial and Mt
Victoria Lookout at the rear of the properties on Robieson Street.
8.9.3.2 Develop vegetation guidelines for Mt Victoria based on the following intentions:
• Assisting the establishment of native forest on the steep slopes north of Palliser
Road.
• Continue the theme of coastal shrub vegetation on the summit ridge between the
Mt Victoria Lookout and Centennial Memorial.
• Improve views from Mt Victoria Lookout with vegetation management and
selective removal of mature pine trees.
• Identify areas where conifer/eucalypt forest should be retained and perpetuated.
• Maintain the commemorative planting area in Charles Plimmer Park.
• Ensure succession planting of taller tree species.
• Aim to strengthen visual unity along the ridge.
8.9.3.3 Work in partnership with the Rotary Club of Wellington and Mt Vic Revegers on the “City
to Summit” project.
8.9.3.4 Continue with animal pest control and the control of exotic weeds.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 163 .

8.9.4 Recreation
Mt Victoria is mainly used for informal recreation and tourism (Sector 9: current uses map). The
forested slopes offer an extensive area close to the city, in which a ‘natural’ environment can be
experienced, while the summit ridge offers exhilarating panoramic views. A network of tracks
amply provide for walking, jogging and mountain biking opportunities, including the Southern
Walkway 40 , although the section of walkway from Oriental Bay to Palliser Road is closed to biking.
The World Mountain Running and international mountain biking events have been held at Mt
Victoria.
The summit viewing area is a major tourist attraction, while Alexandra Road provides a scenic
driving route along the ridgetop popular with tourists and Wellingtonians alike.
The Mt Victoria lookout area was improved in 2007 and includes:
• a new viewing platform and a more gently contoured path to the summit
• a more pedestrian-friendly area around the Byrd Memorial
• improved car and bus parking
• new handrails, seats and rubbish bins
• revegetation of the summit slopes into a native shrubland
• improved lighting, traffic management and directional and information signs
• public toilets on the corner of Lookout Road and Alexandra Road.
Interpretation signage covers Māori history and sites of significance on the Town Belt, the history
of the Town Belt, the city's major earthquake fault lines and the memorials that are in the area.
The Centennial Memorial at the northern end of the summit ridge was integrated with a new
viewing area at the time of the reservoir upgrade in 2006. There is no car parking at this site and
no footpath between the Centennial Memorial and Mt Victoria Lookout.
Leased facilities comprise:
• Victoria Bowling Club Inc, with two greens and clubhouse facilities off Pirie Street
• The Long Hall Trust at Point Jerningham.
The Innermost Garden Inc, next to Victoria Bowling Club, has a licence for a community
garden.
Two play areas provide facilities for the Mt Victoria and Roseneath communities.
There is a dog exercise area at Charles Plimmer Park.
Policies – Recreation
8.9.4.1 Develop more single track mountain bike tracks; and endeavour to separate walkers and
bikers in some areas.
8.9.4.2 Upgrade the Hataitai to City Track as a major commuter route for walkers and cyclists.
8.9.4.3 Improve walking access along the summit ridge between the lookout and the Centennial
Memorial.
8.9.4.4 Improve access from Pirie Street through to Charles Plimmer Park.
40 An 11km walkway from Oriental Bay to Island Bay
164 .
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Newto wn
Roxburgh St
Brougham St
Porritt Ave
Herd St
Waitangi
Park
Caroline St
Elizab eth St
Queen St
Ellice St
Pirie St
Oriental Pde
Majoribanks St
Scarborough Tce
Prince St
Duke St
Hawker St
Mcfarlane St
Earls Tce
Austin St
Mt Victoria
Westbou rne Gr
Rixo n Gr
Mt Victoria Tunnel
Doctors Common
Stafford St
Port St
Sector 9 - Mt Victoria
Context
Lawson Pl
Shannon St
Mt Victoria Bus Tunnel
Taurima St
Sector 8
Hataitai Park
Mo eller St
Hinau Rd
Oriental Tce
Bayview Tce
Alexandra Rd
Hapua St
Oriental Pde
Alexandra Lookout Rd
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Taurima St
Rakau Rd
Mo xham Ave
Oriental Bay
Hay St
Upoko Rd
Marewa Rd
Konini Rd
Waitoa Rd
William St
Baring St
Telford Tce
Looko ut Rd
Robieson St
Arcus Way
Grass St
Wilkinson St
Hataitai
Hepara St
Huia Rd
Robieson Lane
Mt Victoria
Lookout
Rewa Rd
Point Jerningham
Palliser Rd
Matai Rd
Rata Rd
Thane Rd
Hohiria Rd
Waipapa Rd
Roseneath Tce
Ariki Rd
The Crescen t
Peranga Tce
Evans Bay Pde
Carlto n Go re Rd
Roseneath
Hataitai Rd
Arawa Rd
Lindum Tce
Lookout Road
Reserves
The Crescent
Play Area
Grafto n Rd
Kain ui Rd
Maida Vale Rd
Te Anau Rd
Waipapa Tce
Treasure Gr
Te Anau Ave
Land managed as Town Belt
Kio Rd
Evans Bay Pde
Kio Cres
Akautangi Way
Land to be added to Town Belt Deed
Land protected by Town Belt Deed
¯
Other Town Belt/Council Reserve land
Original Town Belt - 1841
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,800
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 165 .
Evans Bay Pde

Herd St
Roxburgh St
Caroline St
Brougham St
Queen St
Ellice St
Pirie St
Oriental Pde
Austin St
Hawker St
Majoribanks St
Elizab eth St
Scarborough Tce
Prince St
Duke St
Mcfarlane St
Earls Tce
Claremont Gr
Westbou rne Gr
Rixo n Gr
Doctors Common
Mt Victoria Tunnel
Stafford St
Port St
Bosworth Tce
Lawson Pl
Mt Victoria Bus Tunnel
Sector 9 - Mt Victoria
Current uses
Mo eller St
Shannon St
Bayview Tce
Hinau Rd
Taurima St
Oriental Tce
Alexandra Rd
Hapua St
Oriental Pde
Alexandra Lookout Rd
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
166 .
Memorial tree
planting site
Mt Vic Revegers
Revegetation
Pirie Street
Play Area
Innermost Garden
Community Garden
Victoria Bowling Club
Public toilet
Rakau Rd
Hay St
Kilrud den Ave
Upoko Rd
Waitoa Rd
Baring St
Marewa Rd
Konini Rd
Telford Tce
Looko ut Rd
Lord of the Rings location
site - Hobbiton Woods
Robieson St
Arcus Way
Grass St
Wilkinson St
Byrd Memorial
Hepara St
Huia Rd
Palliser Rd
Robieson Lane
Matai Rd
Thane Rd
Roseneath Tce
Mt Victoria Lookout
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Hohiria Rd
Waipapa Rd
Rata Rd
Ariki Rd
The Crescen t
!(
Peranga Tce
Carlto n Go re Rd
Arawa Rd
Lindum Tce
Hataitai Rd
Grafto n Rd
Maida Vale Rd
Centennial Memorial
Te Anau Rd
Waipapa Tce
Kain ui Rd
Treasure Gr
Te Anau Ave
Kio Rd
Evans Bay Pde
Main access points
!( Other access points
4 Lookouts
Kio Cres
Akautangi Way
Evans Bay Pde
¯
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
WCC leases
The Long
Hall Trust
Neighbourhood park
Dog exercise areas
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500

Natural vegetated backdrop
to CBD and Oriental Bay
Sector 9 - Mt Victoria
Landscape and existing vegetation
Unbuilt natural character
of ridgeline
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
Views of CBD from
Mt Victoria Lookout
Native forest - 10.1ha
¯
Mixed shrubland (exotic-native) - 1.6ha
Mixed forest (exotic-native) - 5.6ha
Revegetation - 3.3ha
Pohutukawa stands - 0.2ha
Conifer dominant - 17.8ha
Eucalyptus dominant - 0.4ha
Grassland - 5.5ha
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 167 .

Sector 9 - Mt Victoria
Management and proposed future changes
Other data has been com piled fr om a v ariety of s our ces and its acc uracy m ay vary, but is gener ally +/- 1m .
168 .
Vegetation management:
Implement City-to-Summit planting
programme in partnership with the
Rotary Club of Wellington
Vegetation management:
Retain green framework
along Alexandra Road
Landscape:
Retain views
from Lookout
Alexandra Road removal
with Mt Victoria Lookout added
to Town Belt
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Landscape:
Retain unbuilt character of
Lookout Road. Develop
path between Mt Victoria
Lookout and Centennial
Memorial
¯
Hataitai to City Walkway
Southern Walkway
WCC tracks
Land rationalisation
Proposed removal
0 90 180 360
metres
scale 1:8,500

Table 9: Town Belt additions and boundary rationalisation – Mt Victoria sector
Site name Legal description and
area
Lookout Road Pt Lots 76,77 DP 1301
open space Pt Lots 1 DP 88011
lands
Pt Lots 1 DP 89011
Pt Lots 1 DP 85743
Pt Lot 1 DP 8574
Pt Lot DP 17217
Pt Lots 1 & 2 DP 17217
P t Lot 1 DP 23142
Pt Lot 1 DP 89011.
Mt Victoria
Lookout land
Mt Victoria
Radio
Networks site
150
Alexandra
Road
The land is held in two
parcels and described as:
Lot 1 DP 6438, subject to s.
106 Res. & O.L.D. & P.B.
Emp. Act 1922, vested in the
Council in trust for road
purposes, comprising
0.1555ha.
Part of Mt Victoria and part
of the land described in the
7 th Schedule to the
Wellington Corporation and
Harbour Board Streets and
Lands Act 1892, CT 716/19.
Held as Pleasure Ground and
vested in the Council,
pursuant to the Public Works
Act 1928, Proclamation 5579,
NZ Gazette 1956 page 917,
comprising 1.8678ha.
Description, location, current
use
Adjacent to, along the eastern side of,
existing Town Belt and the Pleasure
Ground land (at the Mt Victoria summit)
is an area of Council owned land that is
zoned open space B. This land contains,
the Centennial memorial and around to
the transmitter mast linking into
Alexandra Road. Lookout Road was
legally surveyed and gazetted in 2000.
The area primarily consists of mown
grass. It also has an outlook shelter and a
water supply reservoir.
The land described as the Mt Victoria
Lookout includes the majority of the ring
road, the Byrd Memorial, car parks and
lookout platform on the top of Mt
Victoria. This square-shaped land parcel
was originally used as a signal station by
the Harbour Board and subsequently
vested in Wellington City Council for road
and Pleasure Ground purposes.
The Mt Victoria Lookout was original
Town Belt land, but was allocated for
public purposes or public utility before
1873. Following its use as a signal station
by the Harbour Board, it was then taken
for a pleasure ground and roading
purposes and vested in Wellington City
Council (CT 716/19).
This land is located on the east side of
Lookout Road along the Mt Victoria ridge,
between the Mt Victoria Lookout and
Centennial Memorial.
This land is owned/administered by
Radio Networks and the site used for
telecommunications.
Lot 1 DP11417 This is a Council-owned section next to
Centennial Memorial land and located on
the corner of Alexandra Road and
Lookout Road.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
The land is identified in the These lands are contiguous
TBMP 1995 as a potential with the Town Belt. These
addition to the Town Belt. (Mt sections of land are visually
Victoria Summit – the
part of the Mount Victoria
centennial memorial and area Lookout and ridgeline
around the transmitter mast, as landscape which forms a
per 11b, Figure 4 TBMP, pg. 17). strong focal point from the
Central City.
The Town Belt Management
Plan (TBMP) 1995 states:
The Council shall initiate action
to reinstate the land currently
held as ‘Pleasure Ground’ to its
former Town Belt status and at
the same time, shall initiate
action to legalise the road
looping the summit.
(part 2, page 38)
The lands were never
Original Town Belt, nor
included in the 1873 Deed,
however it is zoned Open
Space B.
The site borders existing
Town Belt and is a
significant landscape focal
point within the Town Belt
and the city.
Since the signal station
closed, the land has been
managed effectively and
perceived as part of the
Town Belt.
It has significant historical
and cultural meaning and
memory associated with it –
both European and Māori.
This land adjoins Centennial
Memorial (also proposed to
become Town Belt). This
section of land adds local
landscape value to the
Lookout Road experience.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
It is recommended to add Yes
these lands to the Town Belt.
The Council should initiate
action to reinstate the land
currently held as ‘Pleasure
Ground’ to its former Town
Belt status and at the same
time, take action to legalise the
road looping the summit.
This will involve appropriate
survey work, gazetting the
road, and inclusions to and
exclusions from the Town Belt.
If the ownership and/or use of
this site changes then the
Council will assess this site for
possible addition to Town Belt.
This land should be added to
the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 169
Yes
No
Yes

Site name Legal description and
area
Oriental Lots 2 & 3 DP 10507
Parade to Part CT 427/150
Palliser Road 3.7365ha
Subject to the Deed of
Conveyance 144970.
Point
Jerningham
170
The area discussed is in two
parts, namely:
the existing Recreation
Reserve at Point
Jerningham, being all the
land in CT 22B/899,
described as Section 167
Evans Bay District,
comprising 0.7147ha, and
the legal road, which is the
green strip of land that lies
between Carlton Gore Road
and Oriental Parade.
Description, location, current
use
This land is located between Oriental
Parade, The Crescent and just south of
Wilkinson Street.
This land is subject to a right to the trusts
and provisions set out in Deed of
Conveyance 144970. Lot 3 was acquired
as part of a land exchange in 1925. Lot 2
was conveyed to Council in 1883.
This land is held as pleasure ground for
the City of Wellington and its inhabitants.
The start of the Southern Walkway starts
here.
There is a playground at The Crescent.
Point Jerningham is the coastal area of
land and escarpment that lies at the very
eastern end of Oriental Parade, heading
around to Evans Bay Parade. It can be
accessed from Carlton Gore Road and
Oriental Bay Parade.
Point Jerningham is Council-owned land
with Open Space B zoning. There is a
building on part of the Recreation
Reserve, now leased for drama, arts, and
dance purposes.
The land is also the firing base for the
Defence Forces ceremonial salute, with
two buildings and a concrete pad. It is
used several times a year for these
purposes.
The escarpment is mainly covered by
gorse with some emergent native or exotic
species.
Previous policy Discussion, criteria
assessment
This land was included as Town This land is a prominent
Belt in the 1995 Plan.
backdrop to Oriental Bay.
Lot 2 was part of the original
Town Belt (1841).
The Town Belt Management
Plan identifies the Point
Jerningham reserve as a
potential addition to the Town
Belt network, management area
11, because of its visual
continuity with this part of the
Town Belt. The TBMP states:
Undeveloped land at the tip of
Point Jerningham can be seen
as a small but significant
extension of the Town Belt,
linking the Town Belt open
space to the harbour in this key
location.
(part 2, page 37)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Point Jerningham is
prominent visually from the
central city. The Recreation
Reserve and escarpment
extends the green backdrop
to the central city by visually
linking the existing Town
Belt with the harbour. The
site is a natural extension to
the Town Belt.
Recommendation Land covered
by this TBMP
This land should be added to Yes
the Town Belt.
It is recommended that:
a) the land at Point
Jerningham, with Recreation
Reserve status, described as
Section 167 Evans Bay District,
being all the land in CT
22B/899, is added to the Town
Belt, because of its visual
prominence and location in
the city
b) the longer term goal to
protect the strip of open space
land running between Oriental
Parade and Carlton Gore Road
be agreed to.
Yes

9 Rules for use and development
Mountain biking
This part of the plan outlines the rules relating
to the provision and management of all
development and activities in the Town Belt.
Within the Town Belt a range of activities and
experiences are offered and there are a range of
values associated with the Town Belt as a whole
and with the various sectors. As activities have
the potential to impact on other park visitors
and the environment, they need to be managed
by Wellington City Council (Parks and Gardens)
giving approval for each activity.
Each activity is identified as fitting one of the
following three categories, and this determines
what type of permission applies and what
process any activity is subject to:
• Allowed activities
• Managed activities
• Prohibited activities
Rules for use and development are not intended to preclude day-to-day management by the
Council. For example, use of a chainsaw is prohibited, but Council staff or their contractors will be
permitted to use them as required for tree management.
9.1 Objective
Manage the Town Belt in a manner that reflects the principles of the Town Belt and
recognises and protects key values: ecological, landscape, recreation, culture and
history.
9.2 Policies
9.2.1. Provide for environmentally sustainable activities and uses that are consistent with the
objectives and policies of this plan and each management sector.
9.2.2. Manage and maintain discretion over specified activities to ensure appropriate allocation of
resources and protection of Town Belt values.
9.2.3. Maintain discretion over all other activities (including new activities and utilities) to avoid
or limit impacts on the environment and Town Belt values.
9.2.4. Follow a process for determining whether new activities and development are appropriate
for the area of the Town Belt directly affected and for the Town Belt in general.
9.2.5. Prohibit activities that are inappropriate for the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 171

9.2.6. Manage and maintain discretion over all activities to ensure the safety of park users.
9.2.7. Guide balanced decision-making when assessing potentially conflicting activities and/or
when assessing effects of activity on the range of Town Belt values.
9.3 Allowed activities
9.3.1 These are activities that are generally ‘allowed’ or anticipated in the Town Belt, but that may
be subject to restrictions in order to protect park values and provide for the health, safety
and wellbeing of visitors.
9.3.2 The following activities by individuals or groups are permitted for non-commercial
purposes and may be subject to certain conditions and temporary restrictions:
• walking
172
• running
• organised sport on a sport and recreation park – subject to formal booking with Parks
and Gardens
• sightseeing
• picnics, barbecues (gas only), informal gatherings and group games and other similar
activities are allowed and some facilities provided, but restrictions may apply to some
locations or conditions (refer to 9.3.3)
• informal games
• painting, photography and filming 41
• wildlife spotting
• nature trails
• orienteering
• cycling and mountain biking on designated and shared tracks
• dog walking (on leash unless in specified off leash area, refer to the Council’s Dog
Policy)
• firewood collection. Dead wood on the floor of exotic forest only may be taken by the
public for firewood (except in the Botanic Garden and the zoo). Collection may be
subject to restrictions around health and safety of collectors and other park users, and
around the ecological values of dead wood. The wood must be collected by hand and
must not result in any damage to the park or park infrastructure.
• access for park management, emergency vehicles and as identified in the sector plans
• earthworks for the construction or maintenance of walking or cycling tracks where the
track surface does not exceed 1.5m wide and the work is carried out by or with the
permission of the Council. Sedimentation is managed within 25 metres of streams.
9.3.3 In order to protect the park, the environment, the health, safety and wellbeing of other
users and to facilitate park operations, restrictions may be placed on allowed activities. The
following is a guide of potential issues that may result in restrictions:
a. group size (up to 30 people is generally considered allowed, subject to assessment of
the impact of what the group is doing)
41 Non-commercial filming that is anything other than a home video type activity is a managed activity. The need for
commercial photography to obtain landowner approval will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, primarily considering
the impact of the activity.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

. time of the day and duration of activity (assessed on impact)
c. location (ensuring there is no user conflict between park users)
d. day in the week or time of the year (restriction in regards to events during public
holidays and considering weekday and weekend activity)
e. the weather (restriction of activities and use of certain areas or facilities)
f. environment conditions (any impact on the land and surrounding environment).
9.3.4 Maintenance or management of Town Belt reserves may limit allowed activities at certain
times.
Explanation
Allowed activities are largely informal and unstructured, and traditionally associated with parks
and reserve areas. In addition, organised sport is allowed on dedicated sportfields subject to
booking and payment (as per Council user charges). They have a low impact on park values and
other users and need few restrictions. Members of the public do not need to book these activities
(apart form sport and recreation park use) or seek approval for them (subject to 9.3.3, if in doubt
please contact a park ranger).
Commercial activity is not an ‘allowed’ activity. Commercial use refers to use by an individual,
group or organisation that is carried out for profit or as a means of livelihood or gain. This includes,
but is not limited to, recreation and sport, tourism and filming businesses.
Some activities, like mountain biking and walking a dog off leash, will only be allowed on identified
tracks or areas, otherwise these are specifically prohibited. Dog walking, for example, is also
governed by a separate and specific Council policy (Bylaw and Dog Policy 2009). Open space areas
that are closed to mountain biking and horse riding are listed in the Open Space Access Plan
(2008).
9.4 Managed activities
9.4.1 Managed activities are those that are not specifically ‘allowed’ or ‘prohibited’ and any that
are not listed in this management plan or require a case-by-case assessment. These
activities are generally undertaken in a specific location and may involve temporary or
longer term allocation of a park area or structure for a specific use.
Each application is considered on its merits, compatibility and appropriateness to both the
Town Belt in general and the location proposed. Some applications may need to be publicly
notified, and all applications can either be approved, subject to conditions, or declined.
They may:
• be new activities and development
• be existing activities or development that does not have the appropriate approval in
place
• involve the exclusive use of an area for an extended period of time
• require the development of temporary or permanent structures and buildings
• include commercial activities
• be large-scale events and a range of other uses.
9.4.2 Wellington City Council will manage activities and development through landowner
approval as either a:
• concession
• easement
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174
• lease
• licence
• permit
• booking.
9.4.3 Managed activities include, but are not limited to:
• leasing buildings and/or Town Belt land, (consistent with the Leases Policy for
Community and Recreational Groups)
• commercial activities (including but not limited to concerts, multisport events, guiding
tours, selling food or drinks or hiring equipment)
• community gardens and orchards
• filming and photography (commercial, see footnote for 9.3.2)
• conducting events (eg multisport) and including, but not limited to, events and
activities run on a ‘cost-recovery’ or ‘not-for-profit’ basis
• camping (for educational purposes – non-educational purposes is prohibited)
• conducting one-off activities involving site occupation or use (eg weddings)
• temporary access (except for park management, emergency access and as identified in
the sector plans), eg infrastructure upgrades, art installations, vehicle access,
construction access
• parachuting, parapenting, hang gliding, kite carts/boards
• aircraft and helicopter landing and activity
• storage of materials (such as gravel in parking areas for infrastructure projects)
• markets and fairs
• collecting natural materials, removal of living plant material, cultural harvesting
• planting (unless carried out by the Council or its contractors or as approved by Council
Parks and Gardens)
• new buildings, building extensions, additions and alterations
• structures and furniture (including track infrastructure, gates, footbridges, track
overpasses, fences, walls, retaining walls, artworks, sculpture, plaques, memorials,
seats, interpretation, lighting, sun/shade shelters. Does not include utilities)
• car parks and hard surfaces (includes artificial turf)
• utilities (essential systems and networks that provide the city with water, energy,
communications and sewerage)
• total or partial demolition or removal of buildings or structures
• signs in relation to reserve activity only (signs and/or advertising for non-reserverelated
activity are prohibited).
9.4.4 Public notification. Applications for managed activities will be publicly notified when:
a. it is required under the Reserves Act 1977
b. where it is required by Council policy (eg the Leases Policy)
c. an application to construct or modify a permanent utility would significantly alter the
nature, scale or intensity of the effect on the Town Belt
d. because
the Council deems the effects to be of a nature and/or scale that public
notification is in the public interest.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

9.4.5 Information required with application. All applications are required to include the
following 42 relevant information:
a. a description and/or plans of the proposal with enough detail for Council staff to
determine all potential effects
b. an assessment of the impacts the development/activity will have on the immediate and
wider environment
c. the purpose of the proposed development/activity and why it needs to take place on
Town Belt
d. an explanation of how the development/activity is aligned with the objectives and
policies in the Town Belt Management Plan
e. details of other approvals or consents required (eg if consent is required under the
Resource Management Act 1991)
f. consultation with affected parties
g. identification of health and safety issues and how these will be managed
h. where required, a business plan for concessions, leases and licence applications
i. information as required by other Council policy (eg the Leases Policy) or as required on
any specific application form (eg the Temporary Access Permit).
9.5 Decision-making guidelines
9.5.1 Wellington City Council (Parks and Gardens) will consider the following when assessing
applications for landowner approval:
a. the degree to which the proposal is consistent with the relevant objectives and policies
of each section of this plan and the relevant sector plan
b. effects (positive and negative) on park infrastructure, approved activities, the
surrounding environment and the enjoyment of other park users
c. the level of any additional benefits, enjoyment and use opportunities for park visitors,
local and regional community and mana whenua
d. the extent to which the proposal affects current or future public access
e. potential to improve access to and interaction with the natural environment and
promote personal and community health and wellbeing
f. the extent to which the proposal protects a predominance of open space over built
development at the site and on the Town Belt generally
g. assessment of the effects of the location, extent, design and cumulative effect of any
infrastructure (such as earthworks, lighting, fencing, car parking, access roads and so
on) associated with a development or activity proposal
h. the potential to mitigate the effects of the development or activity in a way that is in
keeping with existing Town Belt landscape character and values
i. if the activity and/or development could be co-located, in particular when associated
with formal sports facilities
j. whether the proposal could reasonably be undertaken in another location, eg on nonreserve
land, on another park, or at another location in the Town Belt where potential
adverse effects would be less
k. the degree of risk associated with any activity (in relation to biosecurity, sustainability
etc).
42 The amount of detail required will be in relation to the scale and complexity of the proposal and potential for effect on
the Town Belt and other Town Belt users.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 175

9.5.2 Signs
176
a. No signs or hoardings shall be permitted on Town Belt land that are not immediately
relevant to the activities occurring on, or features of, the reserve. This includes election
hoardings and any commercial advertising.
b. The size, location, design and appearance of signs and sponsorship information must
not detract from the amenity of the area nor appear to dominate other public
information signs. All signs must comply with the legislative requirements, District
Plan and Leases Policy where relevant.
c. In general, the use of Town Belt land for advertising purposes shall be prohibited.
However, existing and future sponsorship advertising relating to sportsfields and
events shall only be permitted where:
• the wording of the sign is readable only from within the area concerned and the
structure supporting the advertising is sited as unobtrusively as possible
• sponsorship signs are proposed on a building, the name of the sponsor must be
incorporated into the external name signs for buildings rather than as a separate
sign
• the Council has the right to refuse permission for the display of any sponsorship
or advertising material that may offend any section of the community.
d. Temporary signs relating to special events will require permission as part of an event
permit application and assessment.
9.5.3 Community Gardens and Orchards. In considering a request to establish a community
garden on Council-owned public land, the following criteria will be considered (based on
Wellington City Council Guidelines for Community Gardens – September 2009):
a. Wellington City will seek to maintain the public use and open space values of the land
in accordance with the policies in this plan.
b. Alternative open spaces, such as schools, vacant or temporary lots, and community
housing have been considered.
c. The location of community gardens within the Town Belt should consider and
complement the primary function of the Town Belt and its associated uses and users 43 .
d. Community gardens should be located to minimise potential conflict with Town Belt
uses and users.
e. Community gardens should not dominate the primary usable area of local or
community parks within the Town Belt.
f. Community gardens must retain their public character and community gardens must
be not-for-profit.
g. Community gardens on Town Belt must follow the Wellington City Council Leases
Policy for Community and Recreational Groups (2001).
9.5.4 Utilities. Use of the Town Belt for public utilities is considered appropriate in some
circumstances. This does not mean that the utility must be in public ownership, but it must
provide an essential service to the public. All new utilities, and all replacements and
upgrading of existing utilities, will be allowed on the Town Belt only where the Council's
specific conditions have been met (see policies below):
a. New utilities, replacement or upgrading of existing utilities may be permitted by
granting leases or easements provided it is an essential service to the public, it cannot
be reasonably located elsewhere, the recreational nature of the Town Belt is not
significantly disturbed, and where the public benefits outweigh any adverse impacts on
this recreational nature. ‘Recreational nature’ means such features as the openness, the
43 The Town Belt does not have one primary function as such, but the intent of this point is to ensure that any community
garden development considers and complements the ecological and recreation roles of the Town Belt.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

greenness and the peaceful, informal character and the public recreation opportunities
provided on the Town Belt.
b. The topography of Wellington means that some private property owners bordering the
Town Belt must, because of the contour, route their stormwater or sewer discharges
across the Town Belt to connect to main Council networks. It is appropriate that such
connections be allowed with the written approval of the Council as manager and trustee
of the Town Belt, provided that the Town Belt is not adversely affected.
c. All existing and future public and private utilities (above and below ground) will to be
accurately mapped and documented.
d. Easements shall be granted for utilities that are located underground in terms of
Section 48 of the Reserves Act.
e. Leases shall be granted for utilities that are located on or above the ground and shall be
for less than 20 years. This period shall include both the term of the current lease and
the term of any right of renewal.
f. Subject to the ability of the Council to do so under relevant legislation concerning
utilities, the Council shall negotiate a lease and charge a market rental for any existing
installations on the Town Belt if the ownership of the utility service or any of its
installations changes. (Existing utilities do not necessarily have easements and/or
leases.)
g. All new utilities and replacement or upgrading of existing utilities shall comply with the
following conditions to the satisfaction of the Council:
(i) The impact of all utilities on Town Belt land and values shall be minimised.
(ii) Utility infrastructure shall be as unobtrusive as practicable with forms appropriate
for the landscape and finished in low reflective colours derived from the
background landscape. Structures will be screened from view through planting
where possible.
(iii) All utility services shall be placed underground, except where it is not practicable
to do so.
(iv) Underground services shall be sited to minimise interference with existing
features, facilities and vegetation.
(v) Utility services shall be located so as not to restrict areas usable for outdoor
activities or required for future facilities or tree planting.
(vi) Any disturbance of the existing site during installation of a utility shall be
minimised and made good immediately after completion.
(vii) Opportunities for the existence of the utility structure to benefit the Town Belt will
be explored where appropriate (eg an essential maintenance track might provide
an alternative walking route for the general public).
h. All costs arising from the application for a new utility or upgrading or replacement of
an existing one shall be met by the applicant.
i. When a utility is no longer required and it would improve the amenity and/or
recreational value of the land, then that utility, including all related services, structures
and materials shall be removed and the site reinstated as necessary. This will be
required at the utility operator's or private owner’s expense.
j. In assessing applications for routing privately owned utilities, the Council will assess
whether the private utility intrudes unreasonably into the public's recreational
enjoyment of the Town Belt (now and in the future) or the ecological values of the Town
Belt and may decline the application on this basis.
k. The Council may grant written permission to adjoining property owners to lay private
discharge utilities (such as stormwater and sewer pipes) through the Town Belt to
connect into existing main piping networks subject to the following conditions:
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178
(i) no practicable alternative route is available
(ii) a fee for use of the route and a refundable site restoration bond, as determined by
the Council, shall be paid
(iii) the adjoining property owner shall be responsible for the accurate mapping of the
connection(s) and shall provide documentation of this to the Council
(iv) the property owner shall be responsible for any future maintenance and repairs
(including costs) of the private connection and shall be required to make good any
site disturbance on the Town Belt to the Council's satisfaction. This includes any
emergency works being undertaken without the owners’ prior consent.
(v) the property owner shall be liable for removal of any redundant materials,
structures or utility infrastructure if required by the Council.
Note: It is not intended that formal easements be required for single, private connections to
mains utilities covered by policy 9.5.4 k above, but written permission will be required and
may be declined if effects on the Town Belt are significant.
9.6 Prohibited activities
These are activities considered to be inappropriate because of the permanent adverse effects on the
environment or those that are incompatible with the park values, characteristics and/or
management focus or other approved activities.
9.6.1 Prohibited activities include all those activities prohibited by Wellington City Council
bylaws or prohibited by the Reserves Act 1977.
9.6.2 The Council will prohibit activities that would have a permanent adverse effect on Town
Belt values or would significantly detract from the enjoyment and safety of other park users.
9.6.3 No long or short-term commercial use shall be permitted on Town Belt land except where it
facilitates public recreational use and provides for a better appreciation by the public of the
open space, conservation and recreational qualities of the Town Belt.
9.6.4 Non-recreational activity and development are prohibited 44 .
Note: In considering what is ‘non-recreational’, the Reserves Act 1977 will provide guidance
though the definition of the primary purpose of Recreation Reserve: “… for the purpose of
providing areas for recreation and sporting activities and the physical welfare and
enjoyment of the public, and for the protection of the natural environment and beauty of
the countryside, with emphasis on the retention of open spaces and on outdoor activities,
including recreational tracks in the countryside”.
9.6.5 Leases and licences for non-recreational purposes are prohibited (eg for childcare, Plunket
and learning institutions, such as schools and community centres).
9.6.6 Development of existing or new formal sporting or club facilities is prohibited outside of the
existing footprint of sport and recreation parks and/or current lease areas and associated
infrastructure (both as identified in the sector plans).
9.6.7 Enforcement of all activities will be through the Wellington City Council Consolidated
Bylaw 2008, and the Reserves Act 1977.
9.6.8 The following activities are specifically prohibited:
44 Does not include utilities.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

a. spreading of ashes or placenta
b. construction of private dwellings or landscaping
c. all mining activities
d. commercial resource harvesting
e. permanent private vehicle access
f. firearms and weapons use (with the exception of ceremonial events at Point
Jerningham, or as specified in a lease, or as approved for police training)
g. fireworks and/or amplified sound (not associated with an approved event)
h. use of trail bikes
i. hunting
j. use of a chainsaw
k. golf (except as identified in the sector plans in relation to the Berhampore Golf Course)
l. horses
m. keeping of pets or livestock (including but not limited to chickens, pigs, sheep and
cattle)
n. open fires (except as approved by permit for special events).
9.6.9 Encroachments. Encroachments into the Town Belt are a significant issue for the
management of the reserve. The use of public reserve land by private property owners
effectively alienates the public from use or enjoyment of that land 45 . This is contrary to both
the Town Belt Deed and the purpose of provision of public open space.
Due to the location of the Town Belt, contained within the fabric of Wellington’s urban and
suburban development, the pressure on the edges of the Town Belt continues to increase.
The cumulative effect of encroachments (even those that seem very minor if considered in
isolation) results in considerable reductions of public open space in the city and the
potential values of that open space are compromised.
There are 206 known encroachments on the Town Belt covering 2.5626ha as of June 2012.
These are broken down as follows:
• 77 gardens/lawns and or plantings
• 13 partial house encroachments
• 8 pedestrian access-ways
• 69 structures such as clotheslines, garden sheds, compost bins and so on
• 35 vehicle accesses from parking places through to larger access routes, such as
Carmichael Reservoir.
The Town Belt is recognised as a unique and very valuable area of open space in Wellington
and requires protection against encroachment.
9.6.9.1 Encroachments are a prohibited activity.
9.6.9.2 The Council will resolve the existing encroachments with a view to regaining lost
land.
9.6.9.3 The Council will protect the Town Belt from new encroachments.
45 Use and enjoyment may be indirect or indirect. Examples of indirect use and enjoyment include tourist revenue from
having a Town Belt, views of open space or ecological value of vegetation.
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180
Encroachments into the Town Belt range in scale and effect. They typically range from the
minor and easily removed without effect (such as washing lines and children’s play
equipment), to access driveways and, in the more extreme cases, to parts of dwellings or
landscaping. Some of the encroachments on the Town Belt are very old and associated with
early settlement and building in the city while some are more recent. Encroachments
include access encroachments.
In some cases, owners of encroachments believe these have been authorised by the Council
through the resource consent process under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
The Town Belt is administered under the Town Belt Deed and Reserves Act 1977.
Encroachments must be authorised under those provisions and not the RMA.
As encroachments are prohibited on the Town Belt, the process to manage the
encroachments that exist or are found is:
9.6.9.4 The Council will keep a record of all known encroachments.
9.6.9.5 The Council will require removal of all encroachments either immediately or as a
managed process. Managed removal will require issuing a letter of understanding,
and a licence to formalise the removal process.
9.6.9.6 Encroachments must be removed immediately when:
a. the encroachment is considered dangerous (the assessment of danger is at
the full discretion of the Council)
b. the encroachment is new.
Note: A ‘new’ encroachment is one that did not exist before 1995 (the publication date of the
previous Town Belt Management Plan). The onus of proof sits with the owner of the
encroachment. The Council will consult all relevant records, including aerial photography,
to assist with determining whether the encroachment is new.
9.6.9.7 Managed removal of encroachments will result in a signed agreement between the
property owner concerned and the Council and will detail:
a. a description of the encroachment
b. a process for removal
c. a timeframe for removal
d. responsibilities of each party for particular actions
e. the payment of any one-off or ongoing fees
f. any other matter the Council deems necessary to manage the encroachment
removal.
9.6.9.8 If the encroachment can be practically removed or stopped (it might be a garden
fence, a shed, a path, an area of garden, part of a deck, a clothesline or a private
vehicle access) it will be removed with full reinstatement of the land generally
within 12 months or sooner. This type of removal will be managed by way of a
signed letter of understanding including details as listed above (see 9.6.9.7).
9.6.9.9 If the encroachment is associated with private vehicle or private pedestrian access
and immediate removal is complicated by long-term historic use, then a longer
term removal agreement such as a fixed-term licence may be negotiated. This will
allow agreement of reasonable terms while also ensuring that the access
encroachment is removed as per policy 9.6.9.1, 9.6.9.2 and 9.6.9.3. The maximum
period of time for this type of agreement will be until there is a change of
ownership or occupation in the property associated with the encroachment. The
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Council may limit access to manage the removal process by, for example, installing
gates, specifying access hours and days, limiting numbers of people and/or
vehicles.
9.6.9.10 If the encroachment cannot be removed because of ground stability (such as a
retaining wall or part of a building 46 ) then a longer term removal agreement,
may be negotiated.
9.6.9.11 Emergency retaining and/or land stabilisation will be managed by way of a
licence and only where there is no alternative remedial action available. This
clause is only intended to apply to unforeseen stability issues (it is the landowner
and their contractor’s responsibility to carry out appropriate investigation before
starting any work) and where there is an immediate need to retain the land and a
public benefit to doing the work.
9.6.9.12 If an application is received for a new retaining structure on the Town Belt
boundary, the applicant will be required to provide a survey of the boundary and
the completed structure. The completed structure must be built on the applicants’
side of the boundary and not on Town Belt. The applicant can apply for a
temporary access permit to build the wall. The completed structure must be
contained on the applicants’ property and will be the responsibility of the owner
so no encroachment licence is needed.
9.6.9.13 If the encroachment is part of a house or other building, the timeframe for
removal is likely to be longer and an encroachment licence may be negotiated 47 to
manage long-term removal. The agreement will generally link removal of the
encroachment to a specified situation, such as where there are renovations done
to that wall or if the house is removed, demolished or falls down.
9.6.9.14 Any managed removal agreement does not run with the land. Any new owner will
have to apply for an agreement. It is expected that change of property ownership
will often be the point at which a licence will end and the encroachment is
removed or access stopped.
9.6.9.15 The removal of all encroaching features is the responsibility of the owner
concerned. If the owner fails to comply with the immediate or managed removal
as specified by the Council, the work will be carried out by the Council after
consultation with the owner and the owner will be charged for the work.
9.6.9.16 All costs associated with immediate or managed removal, including survey and
legal costs, shall be met by the owner of the encroachment.
9.6.9.17 Town Belt land will not be sold to resolve encroachment issues.
9.6.9.18 Formalisation of managed removal through a licence may be publicly notified if
the Council deems the effects of the agreement to be of a nature and scale that
public notification is in the public interest and/or if required under the Reserves
Act 1977.
9.6.9.19 All encroachment easements and licences require approval by Council
9.6.9.20 Botanical enhancements. These are small areas of land that are maintained
and/or enhanced by a neighbour through planting or vegetation management in
keeping with the Town Belt values and character. These are managed by way of a
‘letter of understanding’, which must be obtained by anyone who has or proposes
to undertake ‘botanical enhancement’. For the purposes of managing
46 This does not apply to new retaining or building as that will be removed immediately (refer 9.6.9.6 b above).
47 This does not apply to new houses or parts of houses as they will be removed immediately (refer 9.6.9.6 b above).
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182
encroachments, botanical enhancements are not considered encroachments and
therefore are not by default prohibited.
A letter of understanding to permit a ‘botanical enhancement’ will only by issued
if all of the following conditions are met. The botanical enhancement:
• is vegetation only (ie no paths, steps, walls, fences or structures of any kind
are permitted)
• is in keeping with the values and character of the Town Belt
• does not include any plant species considered weeds or that may result in
unwanted maintenance issues
• must provide a level of public good
• must not prevent or discourage public access
• must be adjacent to the applicants’ property (ie you will not be permitted to
carry out botanical enhancement on Town Belt land that affects or is adjacent
to your neighbour’s property)
There is no formal right of occupation associated with a ‘botanical enhancement’
and responsibility of the ongoing maintenance of the area will be negotiated.
9.7 Wellington City District Plan
The District Plan is the Council’s principal regulatory document setting out objectives and policies,
methods and rules for managing the city environment, land uses and associated activities.
The Wellington Town Belt is identified as a separate open space area Open Space C (Inner Town
Belt) in the Wellington District Plan. The District Plan’s policies, objectives and rules will relate to
the management plan. In particular the District Plan proposes to:
16.5.1.2 Recognise the special status of the Inner Town Belt as public recreation land held in
trust by the Council under the Town Belt Deed 1873 and identify that land on the
District Plan maps.
16.5.1.3 Manage the impacts of activities in the Inner Town Belt in order to protect and
preserve the special qualities for the benefit of future generations.
Approval for an activity or development under the Resource Management Act is a separate process
from landowner approval required by this Town Belt Management Plan (developed in accordance
with Reserves Act 1977, the Town Belt Deed 1873 and relevant Council policy).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

References
Green and Promised Land: Wellington’s Town Belt (Boffa Miskell Limited)
This booklet was published to coincide with an exhibition at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea
in 2001. Reprinted in 2010.
Town Belt Background Reports
A series of Background Reports were produced during 1992-1994 for the Town Belt Management
Plan Review, which resulted in the 1995 Town Belt Management Plan.
1 Ecology - prepared by Dr Margaret Wassilieff
2 Maori History and Interests - prepared by the Maori Unit, Wellington City Council.
3 European History - prepared by Walter Cook
4 Environmental Forestry - prepared by John Wendelken
5 Landscape - prepared by Boffa Miskell
6 Recreation - prepared by Culture and Recreation Division, Wellington City Council
7 Administration and Management - prepared by Boffa Miskell and Culture and
Recreation Division, Wellington City Council
8 Public Submissions - compiled by Boffa Miskell.
Wellington City Residents’ Usage of and Attitudes Towards the Town Belt (Nielsen)
This research was commissioned by Wellington City Council in 2009. The survey asked 1,000
residents about their knowledge and use of the Town Belt; what they value and their opinions on
management of recreation and vegetation.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 183

Appendix 1 Town Belt and Basin Reserve Deed
1873
DEED 40240 T.C. 50/830 (1976)
(No 67/266)
Deeds Envelope No. 188
184
The Superintendent of the
Province of Wellington
to
The Corporation of the City of
Wellington
Town Belt and Basin Reserve
Wellington
COPY
Dated 20 th March 1873
This is a True and Correct Copy of the Deed.
Maps not included.
Typed 23 August 2012 - WCC
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
C of W No. 1
C O N V E Y A N C E
under the
Wellington City Reserves
Act
Corpn. Book Fol. 1
Travers,
City Solicitor
Wellington

THIS DEED
made the twentieth day of March
One thousand eight hundred and seventy three
BETWEEN
THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM FITZHERBERT
Superintendent of the Province of Wellington
in the Colony of New Zealand
of the one part and
THE MAYOR COUNCILLORS and CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF WELLINGTON
(who with their Successors are hereinafter termed
“the Corporation”)
of the other part
WITNESSETH
that in pursuance and by virtue and in exercise and execution of the powers and authorities given to
and vested in him the said William Fitzherbert as such Superintendent as aforesaid under and by
virtue of “The Wellington City Reserves Act 1871” and of all other powers and authorities in anywise
enabling him in that behalf HE THE SAID William Fitzherbert as such Superintendent as aforesaid
DOTH hereby convey and assure unto the Corporation ALL AND SINGULAR the lands and
hereditaments comprised and described in the first Schedule hereunder written and delineated upon
the plan numbered 1 drawn upon these presents and therein colored red WITH all the rights and
appurtenances to the same TO HOLD the same unto the Corporation UPON AND FOR the trusts and
purposes and with under and subject to the powers provis es conditions declarations and agreements
hereinafter declared expressed and contained of and concerning the same (that is to say) UPON
TRUST as to such parts of the said lands hereby conveyed or expressed and intended so to be as are
comprised and colored purple in the second plan hereunto annexed AND as to such parts of the said
lands as are comprised and colored Blue in the third plan hereunto annexed and known as the Canal
Reserve (subject as to the lands comprised and colored purple in the said second plan to the power of
leasing hereinafter contained) to be for ever hereafter used and appropriated as a public Recreation
ground for the inhabitants of the City of Wellington in such manner as in and by rules and regulations
to be from time to time made in that behalf by the Corporation shall be prescribed and directed AND
UPON TRUST as to such parts of the said lands as are comprised and colored green in the said third
plan hereunto annexed and known as the Basin Reserve by any deed or deeds to convey the same to a
body of not less than three Trustees to be from time to time appointed by the Corporation UPON
SUCH TRUSTS and for such purposes of public utility to the City of Wellington and the inhabitants
thereof as shall in and by such deed or deeds of conveyance be expressed and declared but without any
power for the said trustees to alienate or dispose of the same AND so that no thoroughfare shall at any
time be created across the said lands or any part thereof AND IT IS HEREBY DECLARED (that it?)
shall be lawful for the Corporation to demise or lease all or any part or parts of the lands hereby
conveyed or intended so to be which are comprised and described in the second schedule hereunder
written and delineated upon the plan numbered 2 drawn upon these presents and therein colored
purple for any term or number of years absolute not exceeding Forty two years to take effect in
possession and not in reversion or by way of future interest so that there be reserved in every such
demise or lease the best and most improved rent to be payable during the continuance of the term
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 185

thereby granted which may be reasonably had or gotten for the same without taking any fine
premium or foregift for the making thereof and so that there be contained in every such demise or
lease a clause in the nature of a condition for re-entry or non-payment of the rent therein reserved for
the space of twenty one days and so as the lessee or lessees do execute a counterpart thereof
respectively and do covenant for the due payment of the rent thereby reserved and are not exempted
from punishment for committing waste AND IT IS HEREBY ALSO DECLARED that the Corporation
shall stand possessed of all the rents issues and profits arising or to arise from the lands comprised
and described in the second Schedule to these presents UPON TRUST to apply or appropriate the same
in manner described in and by “The Wellington City Reserves Act 1871” and “The Wellington City
Reserves Act 1872” respectively IN WITNESS whereof the said William Fitzherbert as such
superintendent as aforesaid hath hereunto subscribed his name and affixed his seal the day and year
first above written.
186
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

SCHEDULE 1
FIRSTLY ALL THOSE several pieces or parcels of land adjoining the City of Wellington containing by
admeasurement One thousand and sixty one acres one rood and two perches more or less and
forming part and parcel of the lands commonly called or known by the name of the Town Belt
described in the first part of the first schedule to “The Wellington City Reserves Act 1871” SECONDLY
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land situated in the City of Wellington aforesaid and containing by
admeasurement Nine acres and three roods more or less and commonly called or known by the name
of the basin Reserve BOUNDED on all sides by Sussex Square and THIRDLY ALL THAT piece or
parcel of lands situated in the City of Wellington aforesaid and containing by admeasurement Five
acres and one rood more or less and commonly called or known by the name of the Canal Reserve AS
all and singular the said lands are delineated in the plan numbered 1 on this skin and thereon colored
Red.
SCHEDULE 2
ALL THOSE several pieces or parcels of land situated in the city of Wellington containing by
admeasurement One thousand and sixty one acres one rood and two perches more or less and
forming part and parcel of the lands commonly called or known by the name of the Town Belt
described in the first part of the first schedule to “The Wellington City Reserves Act 1871” AS the same
pieces or parcels of land are severally delineated on the plan numbered 2 on this skin and thereon
colored purple.
SCHEDULE 3
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land situated in the City of Wellington and containing by
admeasurement Nine Acres and three Roods more or less and commonly called or known by the name
of the Basin Reserve BOUNDED on all sides by Sussex Square AS the same is delineated on the Plan
numbered 3 on this skin and thereon colored Green.
C.B. BORLASE
Provl. Solr.
Wellington
Wm. Jones
Clerk to Superintendent
SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED
By the Honourable William Fitzherbert
Superintendent of the Province of Wellington
in the presence of us
(the words “and commonly called or known by the
name of the basin reserve”
between the sixth and seventh line of the
first schedule having been previously interlined)
William SEAL Fitzherbert
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 187

Appendix 2 Land Schedules
Land covered by the Town Belt Management Plan
188
Schedule 1: Land protected under the 1873 Town Belt Deed
All that land situated in the Wellington Land District described below:
Location Area Comprised in Description
Oriental Parade to Palliser 6.5595 ha
Road
CT 427/150 Part Lot 1 DP 10507
Palliser Rd to the Mt Victoria
Tunnel
38.9220 ha CT 52B/855 Part of the land DP 8835
End of Pirie St, Mt Victoria 0.0033 ha CT 52B/853 Lot 1 DP 84926
End of Pirie St, Mt Victoria 0.0018 ha CT 52B/854 Lot 2 DP 84926
End of Pirie and Elizabeth St,
Mt Victoria
0.1075 ha CT 10A/991 Lot 1 DP 32684
End of Pirie and Elizabeth St,
Mt Victoria
0.6032 ha CT 10A/992 Lot 2 DP 32684
End of Pirie and Elizabeth St,
Mt Victoria
0.0670 ha CT 10A/993 Lot 3 DP 32684
End of Elizabeth St 0.0278 ha CT 10A/1025 Lot 1 DP 33290
Mt Victoria Tunnel to top of 35.7020ha CT 48B/341 Parts Lot 1 DP 8519 and Parts
Constable St, Newtown
College Reserve
Off Taurimu St, Hataitai 0.0374 ha CT 48B/336 Lot 1 DP 81724
Off Taurimu St, Hataitai 0.0511 ha CT 48B/337 Lot 2 DP 81724
Off Taurimu St, Hataitai 0.0596 ha CT 48B/338 Lot 3 DP 81724
Off Ruahine St, Hataitai 0.2515 ha CT 48B/339 Lot 4 DP 81724
Off Ruahine St, Hataitai 0.0579 ha CT 48B/340 Lot 5 DP 81724
Off Alexandra Road, above
Mt Victoria Tunnel
0.0407 ha CT 19A/370 Part College Site Reserve
Off Taurimu St, Hataitai 0.0584 ha CT 12C/1223 Lot 1 DP 34625
Off Taurimu St, Hataitai 0.0662 ha CT 15A/1225 Lot 1 DP 34024
Off the end of Goa St,
Hataitai
0.0928 ha CT 9C/1229 Lot 1 DP 33006
Off the end of Goa St,
Hataitai
0.0607 ha CT 20B/500 Lot 1 DP 33683
Between Alexandra Rd and
the end of Mein St Newtown
0.0803 ha CT 18D/1360 Lot 1 DP 47203
Between Alexandra Rd and
the end of Mein St, Newtown
0.2588 ha CT 18D/1361 Part Lot 1 DP 34279
Off Ruahine St, Hataitai 0.1629 ha CT 18C/585 Lot 1 DP 46505
End of Edinburgh Tce, off
Russell Tce, Newtown
0.0028 ha CT 47A/502 Lot 1 DP 80431
End of Mansfield St,
Newtown
0.0050 ha CT 47B/500 Lot 1 DP 80751
End of Mansfield St,
Newtown
0.0088 ha CT 47B/501 Lot 2 DP 80751
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Location Area Comprised in Description
Between Manchester St and
Russell Tce, Newtown
24.1836 ha CT 47B/502 Part Lot 1 DP 8754
Off Mt Albert Rd, Melrose 0.2201 ha CT 19B/858 Lot 1 DP 45564
Off Mt Albert Rd, Melrose 0.1866 ha CT 19B/859 Lot 2 DP 45564
Off Mt Albert Rd, Melrose 0.1365 ha CT 19B/860 Lot 3 DP 45564
Between Hornsey Rd,
Houghton Bay Rd and
Adelaide Rd, Berhampore
57.1086 ha CT 19B/861 Part of the land in DP 10181
Between Adelaide Rd,
Quebec St, and Britomart St,
Berhampore
45.3454 ha CT 47B/388 Part Lot 1 DP 10322
Between Royal St and
Adelaide Rd, Berhampore
0.0027 ha CT 47B/387 Lot 1 DP 80711
Off Britomart St,
0.0347 ha Deeds Index Part Town Belt (SO 18506)
Berhampore
1/4a
Off Adelaide St, Berhampore 0.0260 ha CT 11B/1136 Lot 1 DP 34790
Between Farnham St, 30.1695 ha CT46D/915 Part Lots 1 - 2 DP 10397 & Lot 1
Finnimore Tce and
Hutchison Rd, Vogeltown
DP 42773
Between Liardet St and
Balfour St, Vogeltown
0.0042 ha CT 46D/914 Lot 2 DP 80169
Between Liardet St and
Balfour St, Vogeltown
0.0026 ha CT 46D/913 Lot 1 DP 80169
End of Palm Grove,
Berhampore
0.0948 ha CT 47A/234 Lot 1 DP 80322
End of Palm Grove,
Berhampore
0.0060 ha CT 47A/235 Lot 2 DP 80322
Hutchison Rd Brooklyn Rd, 22.2125 ha CT 46D/917 Lots 1, 3, 5, 6 & Part Lots 2 and 7
Newtown
DP 10337 and Lot 1 DP 31911
Corner John St and
Hutchison Rd, Newtown
5.2230 ha
Lot 4 DP 10337
Off Hanson St, Newtown 0.0079 ha CT 46D/916 Lot 1 DP 80170
End of Papawai Tce, Mt Cook 0.0102 ha CT 385/90 Lot 11 DP 8655
Off Connaught Terrace,
Vogeltown
0.0032 ha CT 47A/347 Lot 1 DP 80376
Between Brooklyn Rd, Ohiro
Rd, Mortimer Tce and Epuni
St, Brooklyn
Between Durham St, Aro St,
Raroa Rd and Kelburn Pde,
Te Aro
Off The Terrace, (Boyd
Wilson Strip)
Between Salamanca Rd and
the Terrace Tunnel, Kelburn
Between Glenmore St, Grant
Rd, Orchard St and Weld St,
Wadestown
25.0141 ha CT 12D/1438 Lots 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8 and Part Lots
1,2,4,9 & 11 DP 10508
7.1139 ha CT 469/200 Lots 1, 2 & 3 DP10541
0.0234 ha CT 46C/419 Part Section 435 Town of
6.4657 ha CT 19A/369
Wellington (SO 19119)
Lot 1 DP 10086
70.0072 ha CT 12D/1439 Lots 1, 3 and 6 DP 5461 & Part
Lot 1 DP 8709
Off Grant Rd, Wadestown 0.0727 ha CT 17B/358 Lot 2 DP 46132
Off Grant Rd, Wadestown 0.0043 ha CT 47C/457 Lot 1 DP 81126
Off Grant Rd, Wadestown 0.0541 ha CT 47C/458 Part Lot 1 DP 46132
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 189

Land protected under the 1873 Town Belt Deed
190
Total Area of Land 392.79 ha
Minus Winter Show building 3.1119 ha 48
Total 389.68 ha
Schedule 2: Other land managed under the Town Belt Management Plan
All that land situated in the Wellington Land District described below:
Name & Location Area Comprised in Description
Stellin Memorial Park 6.4719ha CT 21C/945 Pt Sections 13 & 14 Orangi
Kaupapa Blk, & Pt Lot 4 DP 706
& Lot 2 DP 51241
The majority of the reserve is
Recreation Reserve, NZ Gazette
1989/4485.
Glamorgan St Play Area and
Reserve
0.0506ha
0.0986ha
1.1ha
Western Slopes Reserves 3.3061ha
0.1362ha
CT 11C/754
CT’S 451/173 &
437/213
CT 21A/468
CT E2/191
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Lot 16 DP 2011
Lot 60 DP 34918
Lot 73 DP 33790
Lot 1 DP 51766
Recreation Reserve, NZ Gazette
1989/4479.
Lots 18 & 19 DP 27337
Recreation Reserve, NZ
Gaz1989/4479. (Pembrooke
Road Play Area).
2.8ha CT 437/213 Pt Section 30 Karori Area
Former Telecom Land 18.6364ha CT 58B/128 Section 2 SO Plan 38299
Former Chorus (Telecom)
land
4.7ha To be issued Section 2 SO Plan 452140
Rangiohua Reserve 0.929ha CT 676/81 Part Lot 11 DP 32496
Goldies Brae & Wadestown
Road
0.0354ha CT 162/266 Lot 24 DP 1453
Land off Wadestown Road 0.0111ha CT12D/1439 Part Lot 3 DP 33855
Access way off Everton
Terrace
0.0605ha NZ Gazette 1928/700
Polhill Gully Reserve 11.7410ha CT676/81 Section 1153 Town OF
Wellington
Declared Recreation Reserve,
subject to the Reserves Act 1977,
NZ Gazette 1989.
0.4075ha
CT362/202
Part Subdivision 3 Block XVA
Polhill Gully Native Reserve.
Declared Recreation Reserve,
subject to the Reserves Act 1977,
NZ Gazette 1995 p4478
48 This is the area of the Winter Show building site still subject to the Wellington City Exhibitions Ground Act 1959.
Approx 2.1111 ha of land comprising Te Whaea Artificial has been returned to management under the Town Belt Deed.

Name & Location Area Comprised in Description
Semeloff Terrace Reserve 0.1406 ha CT 420/183 Lots 1 & 2 DP 2322
Declared Recreation Reserve,
subject to the Reserves Act 1977,
NZ Gazette 1989/4483
20 Norway Street Reserve 0.4027 ha CT 425/168 Lots 12, 13, 14 and 15 DP 995.
Held as Recreation Reserve
subject to the Reserves Act 1977,
Tanera Crescent 0.4982ha
Epuni Street Lands 0.4071ha
Coolidge St and Connaught
Tec Gully
Reserve land at Travers St
and Finnimore Tce
Land held for Sanitary
purposes, corner of Farnham
St and Liardet St
Antico Street Recreation
Reserve Land
NZ Gazette 1995/4478
CT 608/49 Part lot 1 DP 10508, also
described as closed street. The
road was formally stopped, SO
Plan 19461, NZ Gazette
1943/1177.
CT 75/271 Section 34 Town of Wellington
0.2522ha CT 125/25 Section 36 Town of Wellington
0.8479ha CT 44D/514 Lot 3 DP 78149
0.2727ha
0.0918ha
0.1999ha
0.1678ha
0.2109ha
0.1617ha
6 & 10 Crawford Road 0.1408ha
0.1587ha
Former Chest Hospital land 2.31ha
0.9ha
Former Vice Regal land 0.3462ha
8.1142ha
CT 559/64
CT 549/96
CT 489/262
CT 624/38
Lots 445, 446 & 447, DP 9808
Recreation reserve, NZ Gazette
1995/2438
Lot 448, DP 9808
Recreation reserve, NZ Gazette
1995/2438.
Lots 449 & 450, DP 9808
Recreation reserve, NZ Gazette
1995/2438.
Closed Street as shown on SO
Plan 23070
Recreation reserve, NZ Gazette
1995/2438.
CT 597/102 Section 1 SO Plan 22375
It is held for Sanitary Works (NZ
Gazette 1928/1732).
CT 47B/602 Lot 2 DP 80801
It vested as Recreation Reserve
on the deposit of plan 80801.
CT 42D/764 Lots 35 and 36 DP 17934
The land, in two lots, is
Wellington City Council owned
Recreation Reserve land, subject
to the Reserves Act 1977.
CT 45C/357 Lot 3 DP 316137
CT 38A/760
CT 22C/3
Lot 4 DP 316137
Section 1342 Town of
Wellington
It is vested in Wellington City
Council in trust as a reserve for
Recreation Purposes, NZ
Gazette 1990, page 143.
Section 1324 Town of
Wellington
It is vested in the Wellington
City Council in trust as a reserve
for Recreation Purposes
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 191

Name & Location Area Comprised in Description
Lookout Road reserves 0.85ha
3.3ha
1.6ha
2.2ha
0.7ha
2.2ha
0.88ha
0.4ha
0.175ha
192
1.8678ha
CT 52A/317
CT 52A/317
CT 52A/317
CT 385/162
CT 385/162
CT 631/18
CT 631/18
CT 631/18
CT 52A/317
CT 716/19
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
Pt Lots 76, 77 DP 1301
Pt Lots 1 DP 88011
Pt Lots 1 DP 89011
Pt Lots 1 DP 85743
Pt Lot 1 DP 8574
Pt Lot DP 17217
Pt Lots 1 & 2 DP 17217
P t Lot 1 DP 23142
Pt Lot 1 DP 89011
150 Alexandra Road 0.555ha CT 464/324 Lot 1 DP11417
Mt Victoria lookout land 0.1555ha
Lot 1 DP 6438, subject to S. 106
Res. & O.L.D. & P.B. Emp. Act
1922, vested in WCC in trust for
road purposes.
Oriental Parade to Palliser
Road
3.7365ha
Point Jerningham 0.7147ha
Part of Mt Victoria and part of
the land described in the 7 th
Schedule to the “Wellington
Corporation and Harbour Board
Streets and Lands Act 1892”,
Held as Pleasure Ground and
vested in WCC, pursuant to the
Public Works Act 1928,
Proclamation 5579, NZ Gazette
1956/917.
CT 427/150 Lots 2 & 3 DP 10507
Subject to the Deed of
CT 22B/899
Other land managed under the Town Belt Management Plan
Conveyance 144970.
Section 167 Evans Bay District
Recreation Reserve
Total 85.4375 ha

Appendix 3 Town Belt traditional history
Morrie Love
Pictorial Illustrations of New Zealand, S C Brees, Principal Engineer to the New
Zealand Company, London 1847, showing Mt Alfred in background right.
The history and traditions related to the places that now make up the Town Belt go back to the
earliest arrival of Māori in Wellington. That time was arguably 850 AD but perhaps nearer 1200
AD. Two important components of the Town Belt are the key ridgelines in the east and west of
central Wellington, known as Te Ranga a Hiwi – or the ridge of Hiwi – and the ridgeline of
Ahumairangi. Hiwi was the son of the daughter of Tara, the eponymous ancestor of Ngāi Tara. Ngāi
Tara were probably the first Māori to settle the area, constructing pā and developing gardens and
using the forests to gather food. Before Ngāi Tara were others, more of the hunter-gatherer groups
known by some as the kahui tipua, who moved around taking advantage of the natural resources of
the region.
Before them was the time of the taniwha, the most famous being the two in the harbour of Ngāke
and Whataitai. In their time the harbour was a lake blocked from the ocean and Ngāke wanted to
escape to the open ocean. He crashed out to form the channel known as Te Au a Tane, the present
channel into Wellington harbour. When Whataitai tried to follow suit through the area where
Kilbirnie now is, however he failed and became stranded and instead the area uplifted leaving
Whataitai high and dry. He then transformed into a manuwairua called Te Keo or a spirit bird. Te
Keo alighted on the lesser peak next to Matairangi/Mt Victoria. This lesser peak became known as
Tangi Te Keo or the cry of Keo. Before the taniwha, the North Island was Te Ika a Maui or Maui’s
fish pulled up from the ocean from the South Island, Te Waka a Maui.
Ngāi Tara built a series of pā, the largest being the Akatarewa Pā, on the Town Belt around
Wellington College and extending up to the ridgeline. The Basin Reserve was the mahinga kai
(access to food and resources) called Hauwai, where the eels and other fish from the swamp
streams were gathered. The earliest gardens made by Māori simply involved clearing of the forest
and allowing the regrowth of ferns as happens after a fire in forest. The bracken ferns have edible
roots which Māori called aruhe. The terracing of the hills allowed the growth of the tropical
kumara or sweet potato. Later potatoes, melons and corn were planted in gardens where land was
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 193

left to lie fallow. The garden areas of Taranaki Whānui –Omaroro, Tinakore, Orangi-kaupapa,
which were to become parts of the Town Belt – were used in these ways often well after the Town of
Wellington was surveyed in 1840. Much of the forest was maintained as habitat for birds such as
kaka, kereru and others, which were hunted for food.
The other great ridgeline to frame Wellington City was known as Ahumairangi and later as
Tinakori Hill. Ahumairangi was to feature more in later Māori history as a place where Te
Atiawa/Taranaki Whānui were to establish gardens to feed the pā below and to keep lookouts to
warn of the approach of raiding parties from other tribes. The name Ahumairangi could have
derived from a type of whirlwind. That ridgeline was less favoured for building pā and none were
known to be located there. By the time of Te Atiawa/Taranaki Whānui there had been the change
from fortified pā situated on defendable headlands to pā with minimal fortifications sited around
the harbour and close to the foreshore.
Not all the areas included in the Town Belt were occupied by Māori with pā and kainga, but the
entire area would have been used for food gathering and bird-snaring. This is acknowledged in
names such as Paekaka, which probably referred to the tree perch for catching parrots and was the
name of a village situated in Thorndon close to the Town Belt.
Charles Heaphy, speaking in 1879 to the Wellington Philosophical Society, recalled that when he
had arrived 40 years earlier, Tinakori Hill was ‘densely timbered ... the rata being conspicuous’.
Wellington Terrace was timbered with ‘high manuka some 40ft high’ 49 . Hinau also grew in the area
and its berries were used in bread and rongoa/medicines, as well as being used in ta moko/
tattooing.
Moe-i-te-ra was a Te Atiawa village and cultivations in the vicinity of Central Park and the northfacing
slopes above the park and extending to the Prince of Wales Park. The area is drained by the
Waimapihi Stream, which flowed to the harbour just west of Te Aro Pā.
Puke Ahu/Mt Cook is a low rise between more dominant ridgelines. Te Ranga a Hiwi extended
from Point Jerningham (Orua-kai-kuru) up to Te Matairangi/Mt Victoria and along though Mt
Alfred, near Te Akatarewa Pā, to the old Te Uruhau Pā above Island Bay. The other dominant
ridgeline extended from Ahumairangi/Thorndon Hill through to Te Kopahou, extending out to
Rimurapa/Sinclair Head, along with the Tawatawa Ridge between Island Bay and Owhiro Bay. The
Town Belt runs close to Puke Ahu near the Prince of Wales Park. Although this part of the Town
Belt does not have high concentrations of Māori cultural sites it would have been well used by
Māori.
The establishment of a ‘green belt’ around the Town of Wellington came with arrival, in September
1839, of the New Zealand Company and its principal agent Colonel William Wakefield. That year
the New Zealand Company surveyor was instructed that the outside of the inland Town should be
separated from the country sections by a broad belt of land, which the company intended to be
public property.
In 1841 Hobson proclaimed the Town Belt a Crown Reserve. That status existed until 1861 when
the Town Belt was granted to the provincial superintendent of Wellington. In 1873, the
superintendent granted the Town Belt to the City of Wellington as a reserve for public recreation.
Hobson also assumed Crown ownership of the islands of Mātiu and Makāro in the early 1840s.
In 1847 Colonel McCleverty recommended that additional land in the Town Belt should be
assigned to Māori and 219 acres of ‘Town Belt’ land were assigned to Te Aro, Pipitea and Kumutoto
Māori.
The Waitangi Tribunal 50 concluded the following:
49 Heaphy , C. 1879 Notes on Port Nicholson and the Natives in 1839. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand
Institute XII.
50 Waitangi Tribunal, Te Whanganui a Tara me ona Takiwa, Wellington District Report, 2003, p 105
194
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

The Town Belt was originally set aside out of land included in the Port Nicholson deed of purchase,
a deed the Tribunal found was invalid. The Town Belt was not included in the 1844 deeds of release
nor in Governor Fitzroy’s or Governor Grey’s Crown grants to the New Zealand Company.
Following the 1847 McCleverty awards, Māori retained 219 acres of the original 1562 acres of the
Town Belt. The remainder of the Town Belt was lost to Māori who received no compensation for
the land and there was no consultation or consent to the taking of this valuable land.
The Tribunal found that in taking reserves in and about Wellington from Māori in 1841 without
their consent or any consultation and making any payment, the Crown acted in breach of article 2
of the Treaty. As a consequence Te Atiawa, Ngati Tama, Taranaki and Ngati Ruanui were
prejudiced.
In addition the Tribunal also found that in regards to Ngati Toa the Crown failed to act reasonably
and in good faith and failed to protect the customary interests of Ngati Toa in and over the Port
Nicholson block.
In 1841 Governor Hobson proclaimed reserves marked out by Government Surveyor-General
Felton Mathews for the Crown 51 . The public reserves included the Town Belt together with Points
Jerningham, Halswell and Waddell, and Pencarrow and Baring Heads.
Despite Hobson’s prohibition on clearing and cultivating the Town Belt, Māori continued to do so
largely unhindered. There were a number of areas of Māori cultivation within the Town Belt –
Polhill Gully and Omaroro (Te Aro), Orangikaupapa/Tinakori (Pipitea) and in part of what is now
the Wellington Botanic Garden 52 (Kumutoto).
The agreement that transferred title from customary title to the creation of the Crown and New
Zealand Company’s title was based on three sets of documents:
• The 1839 agreement between the New Zealand Company and Māori, which was
accompanied by surveys and allocation of sections in 1840 and 1842;
• The 1844 releases which appear to have amounted to an agreement from the Crown to
exclude certain Māori lands (pā, cultivations, sacred places, and company reserves) from
any grant to the New Zealand Company in exchange for monetary compensation of £1500
and in exchange for Māori agreeing to release their interests in all other company claimed
land;
• The 1847 McCleverty arrangement, which exchanged certain lands occupied by Māori pā
and cultivations in ‘exchange for other land’. This agreement led to the 1848 Port Nicholson
Crown Grant. 53
Significant areas for Māori in the Town Belt
Polhill Gully: The area known as Polhill Gully comprised 89 acres 3 roods 5 perches as
established in McCleverty’s Deed. This included 31 town sections, mainly along Aro Street, as well
as the Town Belt additions known as blocks XV, XVa and XVb. By 1873 the Te Aro Māori owners
were leasing the three big Town Belt blocks XV, XVa and XVb along with most of the town sections.
In 1887 a Certificate of Title was issued in the names of the Te Aro Māori for the three large blocks
and most of the town sections. Alienation of the land was restricted by mortgage or lease beyond 21
years, however those restrictions were lifted in 1889. In 1891 the Crown acquired part of Block XVa
as well as other town sections. This came from an ‘arrangement’ with two businessmen who then
on-sold the land to the Crown for a rifle range. It was unsuitable for a rifle range and eventually
transferred from the Defence Department and gazetted as Crown land in 1949. In 1954 the land
was vested in Wellington City Council as a reserve and subsequently became the Polhill Gully
Recreation Reserve in 1989.
51 See attached map by Felton Mathews
52 Waitangi Tribunal, Te Whanganui a Tara me ona Takiwa, Wellington District Report, 2003, p 105
53 Quinn Steve, Report on the McCleverty Arrangements and McCleverty Reserves, November 1997, evidence document
I8, Wai 145, Wellington Tenths Claim.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 195

Moera: Moe-ra (Moe-i-ra 54 or Moe-i-te-ra 55 ), was “a Ngāti Awa kainga, possibly palisaded”. It was
situated where Maraama Crescent now is, near the road to Brooklyn and Ohiro. It was so named
because the kainga caught the rays of the early sun, which shone on the hamlet even before the
people woke up in the morning.” 56 This area was already used by Te Aro Māori as a cultivation,
consequently the McCleverty Award reconfirmed land to them that should already have been
reserved under the Crown Grant.
Omaroro: The Omaroro cultivation area was located on steeply sloping ground, perhaps terraced,
on a spur of the Turangarere hills at Brooklyn facing the north-east within an area now part of the
Town Belt. This area became the Vogeltown Block and was awarded to Wi Tako Ngatata of
Kumutoto Pā. It appears that this and other land in what was designated as Town Belt was
purchased from the Kumutoto people, including Wi Tako, in 1852.
The Omaroro Award also covered earlier cultivations belonging to the people at Te Aro. The
original area was larger than the awarded area. This award left them worse off as only the northern
end was reaffirmed in Te Aro ownership and the full cultivation area was never reserved. “It is
likely that because it impinged upon the adjoining section the cultivation area ceased to be used as
a cultivation reserve and was leased out for cash return.” 57 The lessee eventually purchased the
freehold to this property, which had ceased to be of real value to the pā as a cultivation for
sustainable needs.
On 7 October 1847 Te Aro Māori were awarded a further 50 acres as “The Natives of Te Aro having
represented that within the limits of the land assigned in the deed, no kumara plantations can be
made …” 58 This half-section was sold in 1863 as the population of the pā declined and the viability
of cultivating at such a distance on such poor land became unsustainable.
The name of this block should perhaps be Omaruru after the native owl.
Tinakore and Orangikaupapa: Eighty acres of the Town Belt were awarded by McCleverty to
Pipitea Māori. It is known that the Town Belt contained Māori cultivations although it is not known
if they were on these lands awarded. The 80 acres of the Town Belt were in the Tinakori range,
towards Wadestown, made up of Orangikaupapa, Tinakore South and Tinakore North. Much of
this land was leased by Māori to a Mr O’Neill for a very low rental as Māori had stopped using the
land.
The Orangikaupapa block was subdivided into 14 lots. In 1873 the Orangikaupapa lots were all
given on long-term leases. The first sale of the lots was in 1877.
Kumutoto Kainga – including the Botanic Garden: Town Belt land was treated by the
Crown as Crown land and its ‘exchange’ to Kumutoto was seen as an act of generosity by the
Crown. The land was subsequently used as cultivation land – some 62 acres of Māori cultivations
were already situated on this land prior to this, and these were guaranteed by Fitzroy 59 .
In October 1852 the entire Town Belt awarded to Kumutoto was purchased by the Government:
196
We the undersigned having accepted the sum of 160 pounds sterling, the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged in payment for the block of land containing fifty-two acres, three
roods and thirty perches, the boundaries which are described in the within deed, reconvey
the same to the Governor-in-Chief upon behalf of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and
renounce all rights and title and interest in the same forever.
Signed: Wiremu Tako for himself and for Tamati Paratene
Paora Hukiki for himself and Raniera
54 Cited by Neville Gilmore, Historian for Wellington Tenths Trust
55 Adkin, G Leslie: The Great Harbour of Tara 1959, p42
56 Best, Elsdon 1911. Māori Notebook no 13 in WAI 145 I9(a) p85
57 http://www.wcl.govt.nz/maori/wellington/ngawahiaro.html
58 WAI 145 10(a) Doc 3 McCleverty Deeds, p12
59 H Hansen Turton, ‘Wellington Tenths: Turton’s Epitome of Official Documents relative to Native Affairs and Land
Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand, p D12
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Signed in my presence, having been previously translated this 11/10/52
H. T. Kemp Native Secretary
S. E. Grimestone, Chief Clerk Colonial Secretary’s Office 60
While Māori sold this land on 11 October, on 27 October Governor Grey issued a Crown Grant to
the Superintendent of the Wesleyan missions, Reverend James Watkin, for the establishment of a
school. No school was forthcoming and the estate was transferred to the Provincial Government 61 .
The demise of the pā in Wellington and Māori cease to use the Town Belt areas for
gardening: The pressure from the growing town of Wellington and factors such as the wars in
Taranaki saw the rapid decrease in the Māori population. Use of the large gardens also decreased
rapidly. This often meant the land was leased out to Europeans wanting to farm the land largely for
stock grazing.
In 1850 Te Aro Pā had 186 inhabitants of Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui descent. However by the mid-
1850s, the Wesleyan mission near the pā noted that only “a small remnant of a once considerable
tribe occupy a few miserable huts not far from the Mission House”. Many Māori went back to
Taranaki with the altercations at Parihaka in the 1880s. Having moved back, the door closed
behind them and they were unable to return to Wellington to reclaim their interests. The need for
the difficult gardens on the hill quickly diminished.
Tamati Wiremu Te Wera and his wife Te Awhitu Te Wera
were some of the last residents at Te Aro in 1900.
It was much the same story for Pipitea Pā and the gardens on Ahumairangi. The pressure on
Pipitea Pā came from the arrival of European settlers from Petone. Māori moved out to the Hutt
Valley where land remained and where the pressure of colonisation was less. Some also went back
to Taranaki and their gardens too soon diminished. Gradually Māori disappeared from the streets
of Wellington 62 .
Kumutoto was no exception and, after being the centre of the flax trade in the early period of
colonisation, it quickly succumbed to European urban pressure. When the people moved out the
gardens –and their churches – were leased to Europeans.
60 2 Deed 157 and 1 Deed 306
61 1879 AJHR H-1 p60, testimony of Alexander Reid to the Royal Commission on Education Trusts.
62 David Hamer, Wellington on the Urban Frontier, in The Making of Wellington 1800 – 1914, 1990, p231
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 197

Waitangi Tribunal, Te Whanganui ā tara me ōna Takiwā: Report on the
Wellington District 2003
The Waitangi Tribunal found that in 1840 the iwi groups that had take raupatu, or rights of
conquest over all the lands within the Port Nicholson block were: Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Ruanui,
Taranaki, Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Toa. However, the Tribunal also found that these iwi each had
their own ahi kā over particular areas as follows:
• Te Ātiawa at Te Whanganui ā Tara and parts of the south-west coast
• Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui at Te Aro
• Ngāti Tama at Kaiwharawhara and environs, and parts of the south-west coast
• Ngāti Toa at parts of the south-west coast
Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika historical claims resulting from acts or omissions by the
Crown prior to 21 September 1992 and is made up of a package that includes:
• an agreed historical account and Crown acknowledgements, which forms the basis for a
Crown apology to Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, as well as a Statement of
Forgiveness from Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika to the Crown;
• cultural redress; and
• financial and commercial redress.
Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika is a collective of people from Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti
Ruanui, Ngāti Tama and others, including Ngāti Mutunga, from a number of Taranaki iwi whose
ancestors migrated to Wellington in the 1820s and 1830s and who signed the Port Nicholson Block
Deed of Purchase in 1839.
The history of the interaction between Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and the Crown has
been outlined in The Waitangi Tribunal’s Te Whanganui a Tara Me ōna Takiwā report on the
Wellington District Inquiry, published in 2003. The claims of Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te
Ika relate to breaches by the Crown of its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly the
Crown’s dealings over, and eventual acquisition of, the Port Nicholson Block, long delays in
ensuring there was appropriate administration of the lands reserved for Taranaki Whānui ki Te
Upoko o Te Ika in the Port Nicholson Block, and the Crown’s compulsory acquisition and
endowment of Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika lands for public purposes.
An account of the historical background agreed between the Crown and Taranaki Whānui ki Te
Upoko o Te Ika is included in the Deed of Settlement, along with acknowledgments of Crown
breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, a Crown apology for those breaches, and a statement of
forgiveness by Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika.
A Deed of Settlement based on this agreement was initialled on 26 June 2008. The Deed was then
ratified by members of Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and signed on 19 August 2008. The
Deed of Settlement is now being implemented following the passage of legislation which was
completed on 4 August 2009.
Town Belt and Reserves 63
198
2.13 The New Zealand Company’s initial settlement plan provided for a public reserve of 1,562
acres around the town that would separate it from the Company’s rural district. In
October 1841, the Governor proclaimed that the Town Belt and the other reserves
provided for in the Company’s plans were to become Crown lands. Taranaki Whānui ki Te
Upoko o Te Ika regarded this as one of their food gathering or mahinga kai areas. The
reserves included a number of promontories around the harbour (Jerningham, Halswell
63 Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o te Ika) Deed of Settlement, 2009 p 9
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

and Waddell Points as well as Pencarrow and Baring Heads). This was done without
consultation with or compensation to Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika.
2.14 Parts of these public reserves were reallocated by way of grants in the Town Belt for
Wellington Hospital and other public purposes, including the land that became the site of
the Governor-General’s residence and grounds after 1911. In March 1873, 1,061 acres in
the Town Belt were granted to the Wellington City in trust forever as a public recreation
ground.”
The Deed of Settlement and the related legislation set out a number of settlement mechanisms that
are relevant to parts of the Town Belt:
Right of first refusal (RFR): The right of first refusal relates to land held in fee simple by
the Crown or a Crown body. If the Crown wished to dispose of the land it must be firstly offered
to the Trustees of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust. The Crown holds land that was in
the Town Belt and which the Council may seek to return to the Town Belt. The right of first
refusal mechanism would apply to that land.
Cultural redress: The Deed of Settlement outlines various instruments to provide cultural
redress. These instruments extend from the transfer of the fee simple of various Crown
properties for which there is a direct connection with the claimants to areas where a statutory
acknowledgement applies. There are no settlement properties in the Deed of Settlement for
Taranaki Whānui and there are no statutory acknowledgement lands within the current Town
Belt.
Town Belt and the Settlement: The bulk of the Town Belt is held in trust with Wellington
City Council as trustee. Such land, for Treaty of Waitangi purposes, is generally regarded as
private land that has not been available for the settlement of Treaty claims. There appears to be
some change to this policy from the current settlements process, however for the Port
Nicholson Block settlement these matters have been settled.
Recognition of Te Atiawa/Taranaki Whānui in the Town Belt today: Some signs exist
to indicate sites of significance to Māori, such as Akatarewa Pā. More signs and interpretation
would help people to understand the use of the areas before colonisation.
Planting on the Town Belt can help to provide better recognition of these sites. Groves of trees,
such as totara, rata and others, could extend across areas that were pā sites, however avoiding
any remaining archaeology if that can be identified. Some of the old garden sites may be
marked by turning them into grasslands or similar scrublands and providing some
interpretation.
Ngāti Toa Rangatira’s Treaty Claim
Ngāti Toa Rangatira are in the final stages of negotiating their treaty redress package. Part of the
redress seeks to acknowledge and compensate Ngati Toa Rangatira for their exclusion from the
Port Nicholson Block reserves (known as the ‘tenths’) which includes the Town Belt Area. . The
2003 Te Whanganui ā Tara me ōna Takiwā Report reaffirms and recognises the right of take
raupatu of Ngati Toa Rangatira within the Port Nicholson Block, including the Town Belt area.
Bibliography
i. Adkin, G Leslie, The Great Harbour of Tara, Traditional Māori Place-names and Sites of
Wellington Harbour and Environs, Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd 1959
ii. Best, E, Journal of the Polynesian Society, Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara Wellington in Pre-Pakeha Days,
Vol 10, 1901
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 199

iii. Best, E, Journal of the Polynesian Society, The Land of Tara and they who settled it, Vol 26 & 27,
1917–1919
iv. Jellicoe, Roland L, The New Zealand Company’s Native Reserves, Government Printer, Wellington,
1930
200
v. David Hamer & Roberta Nicholls (eds), The Making of Wellington 1800 – 1914, Victoria University
Press, 1990
vi. Ward, Louis E. Early Wellington, Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd, 1928
vii. Māori Land Court Minute Book 1C
viii. Mulgan, Alan, The City of the Strait, A H Reed Wellington, 1939
ix. Waitangi Tribunal, Te Whanganui a Tara me Ōna Takiwā: Report on the Wellington District, 2003
x. Smith, S Percy, History and Traditions of the Māoris of the West Coast, Memoirs of the Polynesian
Society, 1910, pp 406–411
xi. Wellington Tenths Trust, GIS Map Book 2004, Neville Gilmore, Ritihia Hailwood and Liz Mellish,
November 2004
xii. Crown Congress Joint Working Party Historical Report on Wellington Lands, evidence of the
Waitangi Tribunal, Document A44, Wai 145, Wellington Inquiry
xiii. Turton, H Hanson, An Epitome of Official Documents relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases
in the North Island of New Zealand, Government Printer, 1883
xiv. Land Information New Zealand Deeds and Plans
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202
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204
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Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012 205

Appendix 4 Town Belt historical outline
206
Shona McCahon
This outline provides a broad overview of the main events and patterns of change in the story of the
Wellington Town Belt. It should be read in conjunction with Appendix 3, which outlines the
traditional Māori history of the land that the Town Belt covers, the history of occupation and title
to the land from 1839, and the findings of the Waitangi Tribunal.
This outline has been compiled from mainly secondary sources and is by no means a definitive
history. For those wishing to find more about the Town Belt’s history, a list of references is
included at the end of this outline.
Today’s Town Belt has been shaped by many influences beginning, of course, with the intentions of
Wellington’s founders’ and subsequently by such aspects as Wellington’s topography and climate,
city growth, changing community needs, changing attitudes and, at times heated, public debate.
These influences are reflected in the Wellington Town Belt story, which is told here under the
following headings:
1. Origins and governance
2. a public recreation ground
3. a green belt
4. other purposes and pressures on the Town Belt
5. citizen action.
1. Origins and governance: a brief chronology
This section is a brief chronology of the main administrative and statutory events that affected the
legal status and governance of the land set aside as Town Belt. (Note: a summary of the main losses
and returns of Town Belt land is contained in section 4.)
Origins of the Town Belt, 1839–1840
The city of Wellington has its origins in a private colonisation scheme that was run from England
by the New Zealand Company. The company envisaged establishing an idealised, class-based
society in New Zealand through planned settlements. It would buy land cheaply from the native
inhabitants and then resell it to investors at a price sufficient to ensure that a landed elite would be
formed, supported by a working class of emigrants who could not yet afford to buy land 87 . Investors
in the Wellington settlement were entitled to one town acre and 100 country acres.
In promoting a better life to would-be emigrants, the New Zealand Company described New
Zealand as a ‘Land of Promise’ 88 . In its planned settlements, it made provision for public reserves
such as cemeteries and parks, quite possibly influenced by social reformers of the early 19th
century who called for green open spaces to counteract the overcrowding and poor living
conditions of Britain’s burgeoning industrial cities. So, when the company’s surveyor, Captain
William Mein Smith, set sail from England in August 1839, his instructions for laying out a new
settlement at Port Nicholson (Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington Harbour) included providing a
Town Belt. Company Secretary John Ward wrote:
87 Jock Phillips. “History of immigration – British immigration and the New Zealand Company,” Accessed 19 June 2012,
http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/3.
88 Patricia Burns, Fatal Success, A History of the New Zealand Company. (Auckland: Heinmann Reed, 1989), 108-109.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

“It is indeed desirable that the whole outside of the Town, inland, should be separated
from the country by a broad belt of land which you will declare that the Company intends
to be public property on condition that no buildings be ever erected upon it" 89 .
The objects of the Town Belt, as well as separating the town and country, were, Ward explained in his
letter, “... to supply space for recreation and common to the public ...”. He also stated that the company
directors “... wish the public convenience to be consulted and the beautiful appearance of the city to be
secured ... rather than the immediate profit of the company ...” 90 .
Following New Zealand Company land purchase negotiations with the Māori of Pito-one and Nga-iiranga
under the Port Nicholson deed of September 1839, the first immigrants arrived in January 1840
and established a settlement called Britannia at Petone, near the mouth of the Hutt River. They soon
discovered that the flood-prone site was "quite unfit for a town" so, in March, New Zealand Company
representative Colonel Wakefield moved the settlement to the shores of Lambton Harbour, even though
the Māori communities of Te Aro, Kumototo and Pipitea, who lived there, had not been party to the
earlier land purchases.
Captain Mein Smith finalised the plan for the new settlement of Wellington in August 1840. The extent
of the Town Belt was shown and marked as “land around the Town reserved for the enjoyment of the
Public and not to be built upon”.
Crown and provincial government, 1841–1873
In 1841 the Crown assumed ownership of the Town Belt area (approximately 625ha) and proclaimed the
land a public reserve. The Waitangi Tribunal later found that the earlier Port Nicholson land purchases
had been invalid and the taking of reserves in Wellington prejudicial to Māori (see Appendix 3).
Governor Hobson directed that a notice be published in the Government Gazette requiring anyone
occupying public or native reserves to vacate those sites, and declaring that "all persons are warned not
to clear, fence, cultivate or build in or upon any portion of the belt of reserved land surrounding the
town" 91 .
In 1862, the Town Belt’s management was vested in the newly formed Wellington Town Board 92 and an
Act 93 passed that allowed for carriage roads and footpaths across the Town Belt, the leasing of allotment
areas for up to 14 years, and the laying out, planting and enclosure of public areas, including for
recreation.
During the period of Crown and provincial government, approximately one-third (193 ha) of the Town
Belt area was taken for other purposes including land returned to Māori (see Appendix 3)
Civic government, 1871–present
Under the Wellington City Reserves Act 1871, the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington was
instructed to convey the Town Belt from the Crown to the City of Wellington (made a borough in 1870). The
Act stipulated that one half of revenue derived from the land was to be "devoted to the ornamentation and
utilisation of the lands ... and ... the other half ... to the construction and maintenance of roads upon the
Town Belt ... connecting the streets of the said city with the country roads”. In 1872, before the land was
transferred in Trust the Wellington City Reserves Act 1872 authorised the Superintendent to appropriate
21.85 ha (143 acres) of Town Belt in Newtown for education and social welfare purposes (see section four).
89 Ward to Smith. Quoted in Walter Cook, “Background Report 3, European History,” Wellington Town Belt
Management Plan Review. (Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1992).
90 Follows
91 New Zealand Government Gazette 1841, P. 80, 16 October 1841. Quoted in Cook, “Background Report 3”.
92 The Board was formed under the Wellington Town Board Act 1862, following the Public Reserves Amendment Act
1862, which enabled the control of public reserves to be transferred or vested to commissioners or other persons, to be
held in trust for similar or specified public purposes.
93 Management of City Reserves Act 1862.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
207

208
Figure 1: Plan of the town of Wellington, Port Nicholson, drawn by Captain William Mein Smith, (Surveyor-General) 1840
(Alexander Turnbull Library, MapColl 832.4799gbbd/1840/Acc.316)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

What remained of the original Town Belt (approximately 429.5 ha) was transferred to the City of
Wellington 94 . The 1873 Deed of conveyance set out the terms upon which the Council, as trustee of
the land, was to administer it. In particular, the Council was to hold the land "to be forever
hereafter used and appropriated as a public recreation ground for the inhabitants of the City of
Wellington ... but without any power ... to alienate or dispose of the same ...” The Deed also
allowed Town Belt land to be leased for terms of up to 42 years for “the best and most improved
rent ... that may reasonably be had ...” and allowed for all revenue raised from the land to be
applied in the same way as that specified in the 1871 Act.
As the city grew, further areas of Town Belt land were taken for roads, education, housing and
utility purposes (see section 4). The Town Belt was also gradually developed for recreation and
amenity purposes (see sections 2 and 3).
In 1908 the Wellington (City) Town Belt Reserves Act provided the Council with certain statutory
powers to lease parts of the Town Belt. These powers were in addition to the Council's existing
powers under the Town Belt Deed. In 1911 the Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Act
authorised the Council to charge for admission to sports grounds subject to certain restrictions.
The Town Belt’s management was generally ad hoc until, in 1975, the Council approved the
Management Policy: Wellington Town Belt. This was the first policy aimed at consistent
management of the Town Belt as a whole. The six-page document was based upon policies that had
been adopted over the years for managing the Town Belt.
A more comprehensive management plan was approved by Council in 1994. The two-volume
Wellington Town Belt Management Plan 1995 was prepared over several years, including the
publication of eight background reports in 1992 (see references).
In 1998, following on from policy in the management plan, the Council approved the Town Belt
Reinstatement Policy, which outlined Council’s approach to the recovery and reinstatement of land
that had been part of the original Town Belt. Since then about 26.5 ha 95 of original Town Belt land
that had been alienated has been returned to the Council (see section 4).
In 2009, the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko 0 Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act
2009 came into force, signed by the Crown and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust
(representing descendants of tupuna of Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāti Tama and
holding a kaitiaki role for Ngāti Mutunga). This settlement gave Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust (PNBST) first right of refusal on some of the remaining identified sections of former Town
Belt still held by the Crown (see Appendix 3 also).
In August 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding between PNBST and the Council was agreed, in
which mana whenua indicated their wish to be more involved in the Town Belt’s future
management.
2. Public recreation ground
The idea of setting aside open recreational space for the benefit of all citizens was a new concept in
1840. There was little precedent in Britain, where urban parklands had until then been mainly the
private domain of the wealthy. What uses, then, and what kind of public benefit would be
appropriate for Wellington’s Town Belt?
To begin with, it appears that many of the settlers saw the Town Belt as little more than a resource
for firewood, building timber, quarrying and grazing (see section 4). By the 1870s, however, with
Wellington a well-established town of 7000, the townspeople started to think about the leisure and
94 Under the Town Belt and Basin Reserve Act 1873 (which implemented the 1871 Act).
95 The 26.5ha includes the recent return, in 2012, of a further 4.5 ha of Telecom land.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
209

aesthetic possibilities of the “recreation ground” held on their behalf under the 1873 Town Belt
Deed.
Amenity (public park) areas
The Botanic Garden, (part of the original Town Belt in 1840) which had been established in 1852
and extended to include former Town Belt land in 1865 was one of the few places popular with
Wellingtonians for outings and picnics. The shelter and ornamental plantings there gave hope that
even the Town Belt – bare and windswept though it was at the time – might be beautified with
suitable planting and parkland development.
So it was that alongside the massive planting schemes and sports ground development that
transformed much of the Town Belt over the next century, some parts were also developed simply
as pleasant places for the public to enjoy.
Newtown Park is an early example. Sheltered by some of the earliest plantings on the Town Belt, it
was used in the 1880s and 1890s for picnics and children’s play equipment as well as sports
activities. By 1924, it also boasted a band rotunda and a tea kiosk.
The development of
Central Park, partially a
former tip site, was
spurred by community
initiative. The Scenery
Preservation Society
instigated tree planting
in 1907 and, in 1913, the
Citizens Easter Carnival
Association raised funds
that spurred the
development, by 1915, of
a park that boasted an
ornamental lake, a rock
garden, a children’s
playground and
pathways. In later years,
donated ornamental
gates and a drinking
fountain were added, as
well as a band rotunda
shifted from Oriental
Bay.
210
Figure 2: Central Park circa 1920s, developed as a park with
ornamental plantings, donated gates (centre)
and donated drinking fountain (left).
(S C Smith Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, G- 46193-1/2)
Other such developments included the Queen’s Park gardens developed in Thorndon to honour
Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1897, the children’s playground at Pirie Street Reserve in the 1920s, the
Mt Victoria Centennial Lookout in 1940 (not original Town Belt), the illuminated fountain (ex-
Wellington Centennial Exhibition) at Kelburn Park in 1956 and the Byrd Memorial on Mt
Victoria/Matairangi in 1962.
In more recent years, the Vice Regal Playground was developed on former Government House land
returned in 1980 for inclusion back into the Town Belt. The Mt Victoria Lookout was redeveloped
in 2008 to better cater for increasing numbers of summit visitors, Central Park was refurbished in
2009 with a Plimmer Trust grant and the Te Ahumairangi Hill Lookout developed in 2010.
Sports facilities
Organised sports began growing in popularity from around the 1870s and with it the demand for
suitable venues. Newtown Park was opened in 1881, the first of many Town Belt sports grounds to
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

e developed over the following century. These developments required significant landscape
modification to create the flat land required; hillsides were carved out and gullies filled to create
such hard-won platforms as Kelburn and Hataitai parks.
Figure 3: Newtown Park, 1890s. Some of the
earliest plantings on the Town Belt were
already providing welcome shelter
and visual amenity.
(S C Smith Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library
F- 152785-1/2)
Figure 4: Hataitai Park under construction in
1932. Relief labour dug out banks and
moved spoil in metal bins on rails.
Spoil from the Mount Victoria tunnel was also used
to form the park.
(Evening Post Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library
G- 2478-1/2 -EP)
Demand also developed for specialised sports grounds. In 1915, the Council opened the Municipal
Golf Links which, after expansion in 1919, spanned Adelaide Road, adding to the challenges the
steep topography already offered to golfers. Lawn tennis, bowls and croquet facilities were more
controversial, however, because they involved fencing off areas to protect playing surfaces and were
often associated with private clubs.
Community concern about
restricting public access on
the Town Belt was triggered
(see section 5). Amid
considerable controversy, an
Act 96 was nevertheless passed
in 1908, which allowed the
Council to lease out up to 100
acres of Town Belt to sports
clubs. A number of private
sports club leases for
specialised playing surfaces
followed during the 1910s
and, subsequently, leases have
been taken out for a wide
range of uses – some for club
rooms associated with
outdoor sports activities,
others for indoor sports
venues such as badminton,
small bore shooting, tennis and fencing.
Figure 5: Works in progress, 1949, to transform the Liardet
Street tip into a 7 ½ acre playing field
- now part of Macalister Park.
After the Council stopped burning rubbish in 1930, the city engineers
used layered and compacted refuse as fill to create flat land, of which
there was a chronic shortage in Wellington.
(Wellington Public Library 1083 & Alexander Turnbull Library 60267 ½ (EP)
Sports ground development remained a major focus of expenditure on the Town Belt through to
the 1970s. After the Second World War, there was a big push to provide sports facilities for
returned servicemen and then for their baby boom offspring. At the same time, the demand for
96 Wellington (City) Town Belt Reserves Act 1908
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
211

uilding leases grew, prompting the Council to decide, in 1966, that only buildings connected with
active recreation should be allowed 97 .
By the 1970s, questions started to
be asked about the amount of
sports-related development on
the Town Belt. The 1975 Town
Belt Management Policy 98
referred to the “considerable
argument for the retention of the
Town Belt solely for passive
recreation”. It stated that playing
fields and other facilities would
still be provided for a range of
recreational pursuits, but
indicated that they needed to be
appropriate to the area and not
able to be provided elsewhere. By
the early 1990s, when the public
was consulted about the balance
of active and passive recreation
Figure 6: Opening of tennis courts in Newtown,
circa 16 September 1939.
(Alexander Turnbull Library, PAColl-5927-01)
on the Town Belt, the majority
view held that enough land had been developed for organised sport.
The completion of Rugby League Park in 1979 saw the end of the major new sports grounds.
However, rising expectations of sports facility standards, together with increasing use and the
desire to host national and international sporting events, saw major upgrades subsequently
undertaken in recent decades – at Newtown Park, Rugby League Park and the National Hockey
Stadium as well as the recent installation of two artificial sportsfields at Wakefield Park and Te
Whaea to provide all-weather playing surfaces.
212
Competitive sporting activities that have been based on the Town Belt: athletics,
badminton, basketball, bowls, croquet, cricket, cycling (velodrome), fencing, football
(soccer), golf, harriers, hockey, marching, mountain biking, mountain running, netball,
orienteering, rugby, rugby league, smallbore shooting, softball, squash, table tennis, tennis.
Track network
In 1949, the Director of Parks and Reserves recommended that the whole of the Town Belt be
“suitably roaded” for fire access and general maintenance 99 . Although he mentioned the added
benefit of providing public walking access, it was not until the 1970s that a more deliberate
approach to walking tracks was adopted. Walking as a leisure activity was growing in popularity at
this time, as reflected in the passing of the New Zealand Walkways Act in 1975.
The Council decided to incorporate walkways within Wellington’s parks and reserves, and set about
improving tracks, signs and information 100 . In 1973 the community group, Action for Environment,
suggested developing a continuous scenic walking track along the length of the Town Belt 101 , a
concept that broadly came to fruition with the development of the Northern Walkway in
1973 102 , the Southern Walkway in 1979 103 and the City to Sea Walkway in 1998.
97 Wellington City Council File (WCCF) 00001:1905:50/830 Pt 2, Town Belt (general file), (Deed 188), 1935-1970,
Wellington City Archives (WCA).
98 WCCF 1905:50/830 Pt 4, Town Belt, (general file, Deed 88), WCA.
99 WCCF 00004:82:5/1 Pt 1, Town Belt, General – 1947-1965, WCA.
100 WCCF 00001:1905:50/830 Pt 3, Town Belt (general file), (Deed 188); 1970-1974, WCA.
101 WCCF 00004:82:5/1 Pt 3, Town Belt, General – 1973-75, WCA.
102 “Public Walks to Provide Refreshing Views,” Evening Post, 9 October, 1973.
103 WCCF 2005/21:4:7 Southern Walkway, circa 1986, WCA.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

In the 1990s, mountain biking on Town Belt and other reserves became popular. Conflict between
bikers and walkers led the Council, after consultation, to designate certain tracks for mountain bike
use while keeping others clear for walkers. A new trend in recent years has been the use of the
Town Belt’s track network for national and international mountain biking and mountain running
championships.
The Wellington Botanic Garden
Figure 7: The Wellington Botanic Garden, ca 1906
(Alexander Turnbull Library, F- 160096-1/2)
The Botanic Garden was established on approximately 12 acres of land along Glenmore
Street, reserve for the purpose in 1852. The Garden was further extended with the
addition of former Town Belt land that the City had repurchased from the Wesleyan
Missions in 1865 and the combined area of approximately 68 acres was formalised as the
Botanic Garden of Wellington under the Wellington Botanic Garden Act 1869. The
Garden was governed by a board comprising the governors of the New Zealand Institute
(later the Royal Society) until the board was dissolved in 1891 and control returned to the
Wellington City Corporation 104 .
Early experimental planting of introduced species importantly demonstrated which
species were suited to local conditions. It was from these plantings that the conifers used
to reforest the Town Belt in succeeding decades were sourced.
The Botanic Garden soon became popular with Wellington’s citizens for outings and
picnics, providing welcome relief from the bare, exposed township. The garden showed
what could be achieved by planting quick-growing species, tough enough to withstand
Wellington’s rigorous environment.
From its earliest beginnings, the garden was managed separately for its specialised
purpose. Since 2002 it has operated under a management plan for the combined areas of
the Botanic Garden, Anderson Park and the Bolton Street Memorial Park.
104 Wellington Botanic Garden Vesting Act 1891
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213

214
The Wellington Zoological Gardens
Figure 8: Entrance to the Wellington Zoological Gardens, ca 1920s.
(Photo by Sydney Charles Smith, Alexander Turnbull Library, PAColl-8832)
Wellington’s zoological gardens were New Zealand’s first, established in 1906, on Town
Belt land when a lion was gifted to the city. This gift coincided with a residents’ petition to
the Council to establish a zoo. An existing reservoir at Newtown Park, together with
adjoining land, was fenced off, cages erected and a menagerie at the Botanic Garden shifted
to the new site. By 1912, when an entry charge was first introduced, more than 500 animals
had been acquired. Interestingly, the zoo’s enclosure and admission charges did not attract
the same level of opposition that ignited over leasing Town Belt to sports groups; perhaps
because the zoo was perceived as a public facility available to all, even if not free of charge.
The zoo’s development focused, for many years, on providing visitor entertainment such as
elephant rides, chimpanzee tea parties and miniature railway rides. Since the mid-1980s,
however, the emphasis has changed to animal welfare, species conservation programmes
and visitor education.
The Wellington Zoo Trust was formed in 2003 to take over the zoo’s day-to-day
management on behalf of the Council.
3. A green belt
Now you see it, now it’s gone
When the English settlers arrived in Wellington in 1840, Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill) and
the inland parts of Kelburn and the Brooklyn hills were, according to early descriptions and
illustrations, covered in verdant podocarp and broadleaf forest. Charles Heaphy recalled seeing
“high manuka , some of the trees forty feet high” growing along The Terrace when he visited in
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

1839, and noted “the rata, with its crimson flowers, being conspicuous” 105 on Te Ahumairangi Hill
(Tinakori Hill). Kanuka shrubland and fern covered the Mt Victoria ridge (Te Ranga a Hiwi) and
there were clearings used for Māori cultivation (see Appendix 3).
In 1843, Colonel Wakefield, of the New Zealand Company, in a letter protesting against the
Borough of Wellington’s intention to lease out Town Belt land, declared the forest to be “one of the
greatest ornaments of the Town.” 106
Despite government
prohibitions against
bush clearance,
however, the Town
Belt had by the
1870s been cleared
of forest, converted
to pasture with large
areas leased out for
grazing.
The result was a
backdrop of bare,
windswept hills
around a largely
treeless settlement.
Wellington was,
according to the
1897 Cyclopaedia of
New Zealand, the
“ugliest ... in the
colony” 107 .
Figure 9: Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill),
with native forest partly cleared, 1863.
(Ferguson Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, PA7-09-02)
The first re-greening
By the 1880s, with Wellington well established and now run by a locally based civic government,
Wellington’s citizens began to clamour for beautification planting.
Provision had been made in 1871, that when the Town Belt was transferred to the Council, half the
revenue derived from the land would be used for its “ornamentation and utilisation”. But no
significant planting occurred on the Town Belt until 1880. This may have been partly due to the
difficulty of getting trees to grow on Wellington’s exposed hillsides. Fortunately, experimental
planting at the Botanic Garden during the 1870s demonstrated the suitability of certain introduced
species. The garden donated around 600 surplus conifers to the Wellington Lunatic Asylum in
1872 and to Wellington College in 1873. The resulting plantations, although both on alienated land,
were the earliest examples of deliberate tree planting on what was originally Town Belt. They
showed what could be done and were distinctive landmarks in the Wellington landscape for
decades.
In 1880, the Council undertook the first large scale planting on Town Belt land – at Newtown Park
and the Pirie/Ellice streets area on the slopes of Mt Victoria. Planting slowed during the recession
of the 1880s and 1890s but, by 1900, further plantations had been established in the Hutchison
Road, Queens Park, Victoria Park and Nairn Street Reserve areas.
105 “Charles Heaphy, “Notes Port Nicholson and the Natives in 1839,” Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, 1879,
Vol 12. 86.
106 New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume IV, Issue 272, 16 August 1843, 3.
107 The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, (Wellington: Cyclopedia Co, 1897).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
215

The plantation years
Public agitation for planting continued. The Scenery Preservation Society was formed in the mid-
1890s and undertook a number of self-funded reserve planting projects, including Town Belt sites,
over the following decade. In 1906, an editorial in the New Zealand Mail 108 deplored the Council’s
expenditure on bedding plants in preference to trees and, in 1910, the Evening Post suggested
fundraising “to buy some decent covering for the Cinderella of the Town Belt” 109 .
Mass planting resumed
again in the early 1900s
and continued into the
1930s. Relief labour
employed under central
government and
Council unemployment
relief schemes greatly
assisted the completion
of the major plantations
by 1940.
During this period,
Council reorganisation
in 1913 saw the setting
up of a Forestry
Department. It was
soon absorbed into the
new Parks and Reserves
Department, set up in
1918 to, among other
things, apply a more
comprehensive style of
management to the
Council’s reserves, with
better integration of
recreational and scenic objectives.
216
Figure 10: View from the new tramway on Brooklyn Road, 1907.
Tree planting in Central Park (left) began this year. In the distance,
the early Pirie/Ellice streets plantations can be seen on the
otherwise mainly bare Mt Victoria ridge.
(Wellington City Council Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, G 025451 1/1)
Much of the planting still relied on the fast-growing conifers that the Botanic Garden had found
tolerant of Wellington’s clay soils and strong winds – in particular, radiata pine and macrocarpa.
However, from the 1910s, mixed plantings with a wider selection of other conifers, eucalyptus trees,
wattles and deciduous trees were also used. Native species, too, were planted extensively in the
1920s and 1930s, including pohutukawa, griselinia, karo, ngaio and lacebarks. Long before the
1970s, when the regenerative capacity of native vegetation became well known, the first Director of
Parks and Reserves, J. G. McKenzie, saw the conifers as a means of suppressing gorse and
providing shelter for native forest to regenerate 110 . He was subsequently proved right, although the
conifers proved a far longer-living nursery cover then he anticipated.
During the 1920s and 1930s there were calls for the plantations to be methodically planned for
potential commercial harvest 111 . Although the Parks Department did plan planting configurations
these were designed to withstand wind and provide shelter for young planting rather than quality
timber. In reality, plantings were often haphazard, according to what land became available as
grazing leases ended. Little, if any, silvicultural work was carried out.
108 “Our Treelessness,” The New Zealand Mail, August 15, 1906, 69.
109 Evening Post, 14 March 1910, 6.
110 Cook, “Background Report,” 20.
111 Follows, 26.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Figure 11:
Mt Victoria/
Matairangi, early
1990s; eucalyptus
among the darker
conifer plantings are
evidence of the mixed
plantings
started in the early
20th century.
(Neil Price, City
Photographer)
Post-war beautification
During the 1940s and 1950s the success of the mass plantings started to have a public backlash.
People complained about the sombre character of the conifers, the sunless forest environments and
the views impeded by the maturing trees. This was an era of amenity horticulture when seasonal
displays and colourful plantings were popular. The Wellington Beautifying Society, among others,
called for the ‘drab pines’ 112 to be replaced with more ornamental species.
In 1952 the Director of Parks & Reserves, E. Hutt, reported that, “... the policy of planting pines on
the Town Belt has been discontinued. The use of native trees will predominate in the planting
schemes of the future, and with this in view huge quantities of suitable native trees are being raised
in the municipal nurseries. Other trees ... will be planted in fairly large groups and drifts to provide
colour” 113 .
Under the resulting propagation programme a wide variety of native and exotic species were
produced, including deciduous trees, flowering gums, wattles, pohutukawa and kowhai for their
seasonal displays.
Large numbers of these species were planted on the Town Belt during the 1950s and 1960s – yet
few remain today. Some of the eucalypts and native trees can still be seen behind Macalister Park
and the Wellington Show Buildings, but many plantings disappeared. This can largely be attributed
to inadequate follow-up maintenance which, in part at least, was due to the post-war labour
shortage. It was difficult to find workers, let alone those with the necessary skills. Without
maintenance, the seedlings were often out-competed by the gorse (a rampant legacy of the 19th
century farm hedging ) or inadvertently destroyed by gorse cutting gangs 114 or incinerated in the
gorse-fuelled fires that for many years flared in the summer months.
As fires became less frequent, it was realised that gorse, if left to mature, provided a good nurse
cover for native vegetation to naturally regenerate. Gradually, over a period of 15–20 years, the
ageing gorse would open up, allowing the regenerating native plants to overtop and suppress the
gorse canopy. This process has seen many of Wellington’s once gorse-infested hillsides return to
native vegetation cover.
112 “Colour Needed on the Hills,” Evening Post, 27 Sept, 1956.
113 WCCF 00001:1905:50/830 Pt 2, Town Belt (general file), (Deed 188), 1935-1970, WCA.
114 Cook, “Background Report,” 50.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
217

The new balance – indigenous and exotic
This changing perception of gorse, together with increased community appreciation of native
vegetation, matched the emergence in the 1970s of environmentalism and ecological
consciousness. Native vegetation was seen increasingly as a fast-disappearing resource and a
symbol of New Zealand identity that should be conserved. By the 1980s, citizens were urging the
Council not to clear gorse on the Town Belt, while at the same time recommending more native tree
planting.
The 1990s and 2000s saw ‘sustainability’ and ‘biodiversity’ become increasingly mainstream
vocabulary in both public consciousness and central government/Council policy. In 1989, the
Council launched ‘Campaign 2000’, a 10-year campaign towards achieving ‘a sustainable
Wellington ecology’ that included plans for a major citywide tree planting programme. In 2000, the
New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy was released and in 2007 the Council published its Biodiversity
Action Plan, in which the restoration of native forest on areas of the Town Belt featured as part of
the citywide strategy.
As already mentioned, Parks Directors, McKenzie and Hutt, had advocated planting native species
since the 1920s, although implementation had been ad hoc. When the first management policy
document specific to the Town Belt was approved in 1975, a similar approach was adopted; to use
native species wherever possible while continuing to use exotic species “for practical reasons”.
The 1995 management plan took this a step further, specifying an overall objective of changing the
vegetation balance from the existing 20 percent native cover to 60 percent over a 50 to 100-year
period. The existing vegetation, including grassland and shrub land, had been surveyed and
mapped in detail in the plan’s preparation and maps of the proposed new balance were included in
the plan.
Planting solely with native species was not advocated, however. Some replacement conifer planting
was recommended for difficult sites or to perpetuate landmark features. The public had generally
favoured increasing the proportion of native vegetation but wanted to see areas of mixed plantings
and conifers retained for their amenity and heritage value. The Town Belt’s conifers – dark,
forbidding and needing topping as some perceived them – were regarded by others as part of
Wellington’s character and an important historic link back to the early plantings derived from the
Botanic Garden. This latter attitude was reflected in periodic protests when conifers have been
removed for safety reasons.
During the 1990s and 2000s,
the ageing condition of the
conifer plantations became an
issue as the risk of tree falls
increased. A risk assessment
was carried out and a plan
adopted to progressively
remove the most hazardous
trees. Where access was
difficult on steep slopes above
vulnerable housing, helicopter
extraction was the only option,
despite the cost, and this
attracted much public and
media attention. The
vulnerable state of the old
plantations was graphically
illustrated in 2004 when a
storm brought down many of
the ageing conifers, particularly
on Te Ahumairangi Hill
(Tinakori Hill).
218
Figure 12: Storm damage among the ageing conifers, Te
Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill), 2005.
(Wellington City Council)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Figure 13: Te Ahumairangi Hill after storm damage in 2004
Left: in 2005. Right: native revegetation 5 years later (in 2010)
Compared to the largely failed plantings of the 1950s and 1960s, the revegetation planting of the
last two or three decades has been more successful. Knowledge of revegetation techniques and
native forest succession has developed nationally and the need for follow-up maintenance is now
routinely recognised in budget planning. Planting has also increasingly focused on the use of ecosourced
native plants that occur naturally in Wellington.
Among the wide range of native species that were previously planted, karo, which is not natural to
Wellington has become a pest plant particularly along the city’s coastal escarpments. Much of the
Town Belt vegetation management is now focused on weed and pest control, enrichment planting
to diversify the range of forest species and planting to attract the now proliferating native bird
population.
The value of green space
Among the New Zealand Company’s motivations for creating town belts around its colonial
settlements was the idea of creating green open space that would be the ‘lungs of the city’, as
promoted by the Garden City Movement of the 19th century. The Town Belt’s 170-year history to
date has seen the progressive realisation of that concept, following the initial setback when the land
was cleared. The Town Belt plan 1840 along with the 1837 Adelaide plan are recognised as historic
examples of the town Belt/green Belt concept in town planning.
Walter Cook commented in his history of the Town Belt, that attempts to take Town Belt land for
other purposes have often been based upon a perception of it being a useless and unsightly
wasteland. He suggested that counteracting arguments have sought to show that the land is, on the
contrary, being well utilised or improved. The early plantation plantings were justified in this
way 115 . Now, in the 21 st century, open space advocates point to research which supports the concept
that green open space does indeed act as the lungs of a city in terms of environmental servicing, as
well as benefiting people’s wellbeing 116 .
4. Other purposes and pressures on the Town Belt
Over its 170-year history, Town Belt land has been used and developed for purposes other than
public recreation and scenic amenity. Some of those uses have been controversial; some have
resulted in land being alienated; others are no longer considered suitable.
115 Cook, “Background Report,” 16.
116 Wellington Regional Council, Wellington Region Open Space Strategy and Action Plan, (Wellington, 2009).
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
219

Resource use
To many of the early settlers, the Town Belt was a source of easily accessible building timber,
firewood and grazing land that they needed in order to survive in an environment that was much
less hospitable than they had expected. Although cutting timber and firewood on reserves was
prohibited as early as 1841, and a number of prosecutions followed, most of the Town Belt had
been cleared of native forest and converted to pasture by the early 1860s. The area grazed gradually
decreased as reforestation progressed after 1880, but some grazing for the town milk supply
persisted into the 1920s and horse grazing into the 1980s.
In the early days, when transporting bulky goods any distance was an arduous task, several
quarries on the Town Belt supplied stone until, in 1880, the City Surveyor was instructed to close
them 117 . In 1906 a Mr Thomas gained permission to extract gravel from above Grant Road, where
the resulting 40 metre tunnel is still visible today. Clay was also a valuable resource on the Town
Belt. Applications to erect brickworks on Town Belt land in the 19th and early 20th centuries were
turned down although some clay extraction was permitted. The removal of clay from the Nairn
Street Reserve in 1895 and from an area near Lavaud Street in 1919 both contributed to the
levelling of land for sports and children’s play use 118 .
The Town Belt even briefly hosted a gold mining operation in Polhill Gully during 1869. A small
quantity of alluvial gold was found.
Social welfare, education and housing
As the settlement grew, so did the need to provide for social welfare and educational needs. By
1873, under provincial and central government, substantial areas of the Town Belt had been
granted for hospitals, care of the aged and orphaned, and educational institutions. To the
governments of the day, the Town Belt provided cheap land conveniently close to the town for
accommodating public services. At the time, there was apparently little protest but community
attitudes changed as people started to recognise the Town Belt’s potential for public recreation and
amenity.
A home for the aged and destitute proposed on Town Belt land in 1882 was abandoned in the face
of community protests (even so, the Home for the Aged and Needy built in 1888 was located on
former Town Belt land that had been taken in 1872). Citizens also opposed a plague hospital built
on the Town Belt near Liardet Street in 1900. The matter went to the Supreme Court and although
the Court found in favour of the hospital it was in the context of an exceptional emergency situation
and subject to a three-year lease 119 . Further amounts of land were taken well into the 20th century
for Victoria College (later University) and for rehousing residents displaced by airport
development, despite decreasing community tolerance of such alienations.
In the years following the Second World War, continuing into the 1970s and 80s, the Town Belt
came under repeated pressure from private interests as well as government to be used for housing
development. Some proposals were for welfare housing such as pensioner flats; others called for
the land to be made available for private development. In 1944, the Council itself quashed a motion
from two councillors to allow, via legislation, long-term leasing and sale of Town Belt land for
housing. A decade later in 1952, however, nearly 4 hectares were taken from the Crawford Road
area of the Town Belt to rehouse Rongotai residents displaced by the airport development. The
land was exchanged for 4.5 hectares of flat land at Cobham Drive, of which most was later
transferred to St Patrick's College in a deal negotiated over motorway development.
Pre-school care and education was another activity that raised questions about appropriate Town
Belt use. In the post-war years, kindergartens and play centres found it difficult to find affordable
accommodation and applied on a number occasions to lease land on the Town Belt and other
reserves, successfully in some instances. With applications increasing for buildings of all sorts on
117 Wellington City Council, Wellington Town Belt Management Plan (WTBMP 1995), (Wellington: Author, 1995),
Appendix 4.
118 Ibid; and Joan Quinn, “The Origin and Development of the Wellington Town Belt 1840-1940.” Masters thesis,
(Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington, 1966) 49.
119 Quinn, “Origin and Development,” 59 – 62.
220
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

eserves lands, the Council made a policy decision in 1966 that no further land would be made
available for pre-school education although play centres were permitted to operate from existing
buildings if they did not interfere with sporting activities. Youth activities such as boy scouts and
girl guides were deemed acceptable. In 2008, feelings ran high when controversy flared over
whether or not a crèche was a suitable activity on the Town Belt. The Council eventually decided
against allowing it.
Public works and utility
Another purpose for which Town Belt land has been used – and often alienated – has been for the
city’s infrastructure both above and below ground. The New Zealand Company’s instructions about
the use of the Town Belt were not explicit on this aspect of the planned settlement but by the time
the Town Belt was transferred to the Council in 1873, the Town Belt Deed included ‘public utility’
as well as recreation as a stated purpose.
In any event, infrastructure for the growing town was needed.
Roads were needed to connect the town with the country acres and then to enable suburban growth
as the city expanded. Construction of such connections was authorised in the Wellington City
Reserves Act passed in 1871 120 , and the major roads were completed between the 1870s and 1930s,
aided in some instances by the pick and shovel efforts of relief labour employed in recessionary
times. Several tramlines were also developed in the early 1900s across the Town Belt to
Wadestown, Kilbirnie, Brooklyn and Island Bay. The public transport network was an important
prerequisite to the city’s expansion in the days before car ownership became the norm.
Connections that had less impact on the Town Belt’s open space were the tunnels: the Hataitai/
Kilbirnie tram tunnel of 1907 and the Mt Victoria traffic and pedestrian tunnel of 1931. Less wellknown
are the underground service tunnels, such as the drainage and sewerage tunnel built in the
1890s beneath the Mt Victoria ridge (Te Ranga a Hiwi). A brick ventilation tower beside the
Harrier Club building on Alexandra Road still remains today.
In 1879, the holding reservoir in Polhill Gully, which received water from the Karori Reservoir via a
tunnel, was described as the only source of water for the city. The Town Belt, with its high ground
above the town was an obvious location for water reservoirs in order to achieve good water
pressure.
During the 1880s, some 10
reservoirs, pumping stations or
smaller holding tanks were
constructed at various locations
around the Town Belt. When, in
the 1990s and 2000s, new or
redeveloped water reservoirs
were constructed on Town Belt at
Macalister Park, Weld Street and
Mt Albert Road, efforts were
made to meet community
demands to preserve the Town
Belt’s open space and visual
amenity by installing them as far
as possible underground.
The Town Belt’s hill tops were
also ideal locations for
communications. A signal station
operated on Mt Albert from 1844
to 1866 and a repeater station on
Mt Victoria from 1866 to 1891.
120 Wellington City Reserves Act 1871
Figure 14: View of Mt Victoria over Oriental Bay, 1965.
The summit area typifies the pressure of use on the Town Belt’s high
points. Pictured are radio masts and the broadcasting station above
the new road works cut to construct Lookout Road and complete the
ridgetop scenic drive along Alexandra Road. Interestingly, there was
little protest at the time about the visual impact of this roading
development.
(Whites Aviation Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library WA-65323)
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
221

Other communications uses have included a time cannon on the Mt Victoria summit, the
broadcasting station (popularly known as ‘the castle’) and radio masts installed on the Mt Victoria
summit in 1927 (not original Town Belt), and the New Zealand Post wireless transmitting station
that operated on Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill) from 1912 to 1933.
Other infrastructure/public works for which Town Belt land has been taken include the substation
opposite Central Park and the fire station in Newtown.
222
Military uses
Figure 15: US Marine Corps camp entrance at Central Park, ca 1940.
(Wellington City Council Archive. Ref:00155:0:121)
Areas of Town Belt land have been used periodically for military or civilian war effort
activities.
Newtown Park was used for a military camp for Boer War contingents from 1899–1901, a
parade ground during the Second World War and a military camp again during the
Second World War. Polhill Gully was used for defence purposes in 1926 and as a rifle
range for training territorial regiments during the 1940s.
During the Second World War, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps had a camp of army
huts on Mt Victoria and an artisans’ camp was established at Hataitai Park. Gun
emplacements were constructed on Te Ahumairangi Hill and Mt Victoria during the
Second World War, which were eventually demolished in 1969 and 1970 respectively.
Nairn Street Park was also made available for military purposes and the HQ Battalion, 2 nd
Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was accommodated at a camp in
Central Park.
In 1943 the Council resolved to make more allotments available on the Town Belt for
growing vegetables, in support of the wartime ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, which aimed to
increase vegetable supplies for civilian use. The extra allotments were to supplement the
200 that already existed on the Town Belt and were made available for 2/- per annum 121 .
121 Minutes of Wellington City Council Reserves Public Gardens Baths and Beaches Committee, 22 June 1943, WCA.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Land lost
Although legislation has always been required to take land out of the Town Belt, more than onethird
of the original Town Belt had been taken by the time the remaining land was transferred to
the Wellington City Council in 1873, as Table 1 shows. A vocal ‘hands off the Town Belt’ community
lobby (see section 5) developed in response to the alienations, which continued well into the 20th
century, albeit of smaller areas.
Table 1: Area of Wellington Town Belt, 1841–2012
Date Governance milestones Approx Town
Belt area
1841 Reserved by the Crown 122 625 ha 100%
1861 Granted to the Superintendent of Wellington 123 500 ha 80%
1873 Conveyed to Wellington City Council 124 429.5 ha 69%
1995 Town Belt Management Plan (only 387.5ha legally
subject to the 1873 Deed) 125
424.5 ha 68%
2012 Managed as Town Belt by Wellington City Council
(only 389.68 ha legally subject to the 1873 Deed)
474.7087 ha 76%
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
% of original
area
A brief summary of the major areas or representative types of alienation follows, but does not
include the roading appropriations as these occurred in a complex succession of proclamations,
including various widening and extensions of the original road alignments. Some areas are still
being used for the same or similar purposes they were taken for but other areas ended up in
different public uses or in private ownership.
‘Native Reserves’, Tinakore (North and South), Moera, Orangikaupapa, Kumutoto
and Omaroro, 1847: a number of areas totalling 88.6ha (219 acres) in the Te Ahumairangi Hill,
Kelburn, Polhill Gully, Brooklyn and Vogeltown areas of the Town Belt were assigned to Pipitea,
Kumutoto and Te Aro Māori in partial compensation for land taken by the Crown (see Appendix 3).
The Wesleyan Reserve, Kelburn, 1852: this area of approximately 45ha (111 acres) was
granted to the Wesleyan Mission for ‘education and religious purposes’, including an orphanage
and hospital. Part of this land was later repurchased and became part of the Botanic Garden; the
rest was eventually sold as residential sections or claimed for roads.
Education and social welfare purposes, Newtown: 1872: this largest single appropriation
(57.9ha or 143 acres) was originally taken for a collegiate institution and lunatic asylum and has
subsequently accommodated a range of uses including: Wellington College (1874–present);
Wellington East Girls' College (1925–present); the Mount View Mental Asylum (1875–1909);
Government House in the converted mental asylum building (1910–present); Wellington Hospital
(1882–present); Home for the Aged Needy (1888) which later became the Ewart Hospital and is
now used for the Parkview Clinic; the Fever Hospital for infectious diseases (1919), later used as a
Chest Hospital for tuberculosis patients (until 1981) and then used by the Wellington Polytechnic
School of Music (1988– 1995) , before the site was returned to the Council in 2002.
Signal station, Mt Victoria, 1872: the signal station operated from 1866 to 1940; the 2ha (5
acre) area was reacquired from the Wellington Harbour Board in 1956 as a pleasure ground 126 .
Government Observatory, Kelburn, 1891: this area of 2.4 ha (6 acres) is now the site of the
present Meteorological Service office.
122 WTBMP 1995, 5.
123 Area of 1,234 acres, 2 roods & 18 perches recorded in Management of City Reserves Act 1862.
124 Area of 1,061 acres, one rood and two perches as per Town Belt and Basin Reserve Deed, 20 March 1873.
125 WTBMP 1995, 5.
126 WTBMP 1995, Appendix 4.
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Figure 16: Aerial view taken in 1934 of the large area appropriated in 1872
for educational and hospital purposes.
Wellington East Girls College and Wellington College are seen beyond the Basin Reserve (foreground),
Government House among plantings (centre right) and Wellington Hospital beyond the plantings.
(Evening Post Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, F- 122291-1/2 detail)
Victoria College (University), Kelburn, 1901 & 1949: 2.4ha (6 acres) were first granted in
1901 and then a further 5.4ha (13.25 acres) in 1949, in exchange for land at Glenside and Miramar.
The land received in exchange was used respectively for reserve and housing purposes.
Tramways sheds and the Newtown Fire Station, 1912: the tramway depot closed in 1964.
The 1.3 ha site is now used for the fire station and Newtown Park Housing Units, constructed in
1970.
Wireless transmitting station, Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill) 1912: 24.3ha (60
acres) of Town Belt, formerly granted as a Māori Reserve (see Appendix 3), was granted to the New
Zealand Post Office and later passed to Telecom. The transmitting station closed in 1993 and most
of the land returned to the Council in 1998. Additional land was reacquired by the Council in 2012.
Fire station, Newtown, 1916 & 1929: approximately 0.25 ha was proclaimed for use as a fire
station and transferred to the Wellington Fire Board. The site was later acquired by the Wellington
City Mission for the Hadfield House rest home, which was sold in the 1990s. The land is now
occupied by the Mt Victoria Lifecare Rest Home.
Substation, Brooklyn, 1941 & 1962: 0.28ha beside Nairn Street was appropriated for a New
Zealand Electricity Department substation, which became operational in 1945.
Compensation housing, Newtown, 1952: approximately 3.6ha (9 acres) near Crawford Road
was taken for rehousing residents displaced by the Rongotai Airport development.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012

Wellington Showgrounds, Mt Cook, 1959: under the Wellington City Exhibition Grounds Act
1959, the Wellington City Corporation was authorised to grant the Wellington Show Association a
21-year lease with perpetual right of renewal over approximately 5.6ha (13 acres) of the Town Belt
for use as an exhibition site. The terms of the 1873 vesting Deed were suspended in relation to the
site for as long as this Act or a related lease remained in force.
Land regained
Before the 1970s, a few areas of Town Belt land had come back to the Council, being mainly the
result of administrative ‘tidy ups’ of land left over from roading and similar work, but also
including the addition of about 0.2 ha ( ½ acre) to Tanera Park in 1943 and 6.4719 ha (15 acres, 2
roods, 24 perches) in 1964, when former Town Belt land on Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill),
which had been granted as Māori Reserve and then passed into private hands, was gifted back by
the owner, James Stellin in memory of his war hero son James Stellin, who died in France in 1944.
The gifted land is now Stellin Memorial Park 127 .
In 1973 Action for Environment wrote to the Council suggesting that a new policy be adopted,
under which the Town Belt would be given special status “as more sacrosanct than other reserves”
and that former Town Belt land should be returned 128 . These proposals were, in essence, adopted in
the Council’s first Town Belt Management Policy in 1975.
The Council acknowledged that the “continued existence of the Town Belt despite increasing
demands on the land for other uses from many different agencies is vitally important to
Wellington City” 129 . It set out to establish existing boundaries, and to obtain Town Belt land that
had been alienated “to gain a Town Belt more resembling the original land area.” The policy also
stated that if any Town Belt land were to be taken for other uses, then the Council would seek land
of equal value, which would be given the same Town Belt status.
In 1983, when Action for the Environment investigated and found that some of the land taken for
the Rongotai housing relocations in 1952 remained undeveloped 130 , the Council of the day decided
not to buy it back for reinstatement in the Town Belt. However, in June 1980, an area named the
Vice-Regal Play Area, on the upper part of Government House land adjoining the Ewart Hospital,
was handed back to the city and planted as part of Arbor Day activities. Return of other land, was
slower to occur, complicated by the creation of State-owned enterprises that were reluctant to let
inherited – and valuable – former Town Belt land go, even if no longer used for the purposes taken.
Furthermore, the status of Town Belt land in relation to the Wellington Treaty Claim was being
considered by the Waitangi Tribunal.
While return of legally alienated land was one issue, so too, was the use of Town Belt land by
neighbouring property owners. In 1988, the Council set about inspecting the Town Belt
boundaries. An up-to-date register of all encroachments was compiled; some formalised under
licence, others informal and historic in nature. Collectively, more than 2ha of Town Belt land was
found to be in use for private purposes.
The 1995 Management Plan introduced policies to systematically address the encroachments. It
also reiterated the 1975 policy to seek the return of alienated former Town Belt land where
possible, with the intention of introducing a Bill to Parliament “to regularise the legal status and
unite the lands managed as Town Belt.” The Council developed its intentions in more detail in the
Town Belt Reinstatement Policy, 1998 and undertook preparatory work on a Bill.
In 2000, 18.63ha of the land held by Telecom on Te Ahumairangi Hill (formerly Tinakori Hill) was
returned to the Council; in 2002, the 3.21 ha Chest Hospital site was returned; and, in 2012, a
further 4.7 ha of Telecom (now Chorus) land was returned.
127 WCCF00001: 1147:31/433, Pt 1 Reserve: Stellin Memorial Park, Orangi Kaupapa Road, WCA.
128 WCCF 00001:1905:50/830 Pt 3, Town Belt (general file), (Deed 188), 1970-1974, WCA
129 WCCF 00001:1905:50/830 Pt 4, Town Belt (General). Management Policy: Wellington Town Belt, WCA
130 WCCF. 00001:1905:50.830 Pt 4, Town Belt (general file), (Deed 188), 1974-1983, WCA
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5. Citizen action
The Town Belt has attracted ardent citizen involvement over its history. A ‘hands off the Town Belt’
lobby has regularly spoken out against the misuse and diminution of the Town Belt, positioning
itself as the defender of a threatened public good. Many of the same groups and individuals have
put their energies into practical ‘hands on’ beautification projects.
Community advocacy for the Town Belt started as early as 1842 with letters to the editor and
developed around the early 1880s, perhaps spurred by the realisation of what had been already lost
– the Town Belt was already substantially diminished and denuded when it was transferred to the
Council in 1873. Perhaps, too, citizens felt more able to influence Town Belt management once it
was in local government hands.
Several groups, in particular, have featured as Town Belt advocates:
In the mid-1890s, the Scenery Preservation Society was formed to beautify the city. It carried out a
number of reserve planting projects, including several on the Town Belt, raising money to fund the
plant purchases and to employ a gardener to look after the plantings.
The Wellington Beautifying Society was strong during the 1930s to 1960s. It too, was involved with
tree planting to enhance the condition of the Town Belt, which it described in 1952 “as a disgrace
to citizens” 131 . It was also vocal in its protests against alienations from the Town Belt, which it
described as a “breathing space” 132 passed on from Wellington’s forefathers.
Action for Environment became active in the 1970s. It not only undertook planting projects aimed
at restoring native forest on the Town Belt but was also proactive in its advocacy, writing regularly
to the Council asking for information about Town Belt management and suggesting policies for
better protection and enhancement. It was active in promoting the establishment of the Open
Space C zoning in the District Plan. Forty years on, it is still active, most recently having appealed
an Environment Court decision to allow an extension of the Wellington Badminton Association’s
hall on Town Belt land.
The Friends of the Wellington Town Belt group was established in 1995 (in accordance with the
Town Belt Management plan 1995) “to safeguard the Town Belt as a place of visual beauty and
public recreation, and to assist in its management” 133 . It has made regular submissions on Town
Belt issues, disseminated information about the Town Belt and assisted with funding Town Belt
projects, including the preparation of the Te Ahumairangi Hill Landscape Plan.
Other groups that have been involved with Town Belt issues or projects at various times over the
decades have included progressive associations, residents associations, historic societies, sports
and other user groups, environmental groups, rotary and lions clubs and gardening groups.
Hands off the Town Belt
‘Hands off the Town Belt’ became the rallying call among those who lobbied to protect the Town
Belt. For them, the Town Belt was a sacrosanct open space that was held in trust for all and
provided a valuable public good. Other interests perceived it as an under-used wasteland that
would be better put to other use. Controversy and public debate between the opposing viewpoints
has flared at intervals.
As early as 1882, a Council proposal to build an old men’s home on five acres of Town Belt met with
opposition and was abandoned. The New Zealand Times entered into the debate, declaring that,
131 “Beautifying Society Dislikes Encroachments on Town Belt,” Evening Post, 4 June 1952.
132 Ibid
133 http://www.townbelt.wellington.net.nz/about_town_belt.html, 21 June 2012.
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“... as plunder always will be deemed a holy thing by some, from Governors down to city
councillors, so almost as soon as granted, the Town Belt has been mutilated” 134 .
In 1900 nearly 150 residents and landowners opposed the building of a plague hospital on the
Town Belt at Berhampore. One citizen, James Wilson, took the matter to the Supreme Court, on
the grounds that such a use was in breach of the trust under which the Town Belt was held as a
public recreation ground. Although the Court decided against him, the urgent necessity of the
bubonic plague scare at the time was a likely factor 135 . Certainly, the case illustrated the strength of
citizen feeling about protecting the Town Belt.
Controversy over Town Belt housing proposals featured regularly in the media from the 1950s
through to the early 1980s. The alienation of Bayview Terrace across the Town Belt to the then
French Embassy in 1970, also caused a furore, prompting an editorial in The Dominion entitled
‘Another Chunk’ 136 which highlighted the history of Town Belt alienations.
As mentioned above, Action for the Environment was proactive in the 1970s in urging the Council
to develop policy that recognised the Town Belt’s special legal and heritage status, and sought the
return of former Town Belt land.
Free access for all
Another issue that sparked controversy had to do with the widely held view that the Town Belt,
being a public recreation ground, should be freely accessible to all.
From this viewpoint, sportsfields were acceptable, being open for anyone to use and to walk across.
However, leasing land to private sports groups was another matter. This issue came to a head
around 1908, when an Act was passed allowing up to 100 acres of Town Belt to be leased to sports
clubs 137 . Those who opposed the Bill envisaged wealthy interest groups taking over parts of the
Town Belt for exclusive use and, potentially charging members of the public for access on land that
was held in trust for everyone’s benefit 138 .
The anti-leasing lobby lost that particular battle but the question of exclusive rights has from time
to time resurfaced since. One example is the concept of community gardens. Productive gardens on
the Town Belt were readily accepted during the Depression and Second World War when there was
a clear public benefit, but subsequent garden allotments and the shared community garden that
has existed at Ohiro Park for many years, led to concerns about whether the general public was
being excluded for the benefit of a few. The issue arose again in recent years with applications for
inner city residents without their own garden space to be able to use Town Belt land. Eventually a
licence was granted to Innermost Gardens group to develop a community garden at a site on Town
Belt in Mt Victoria.
Similarly, those in defence of the Town Belt’s public sanctity have opposed occasional applications
by private interests for long-term commercial enterprises on Town Belt land. Applicants of such
proposals as a driving range at the Municipal Golf Links (1988) or a gondola and summit
restaurant on Mt Victoria (1987) have argued that such uses would add to the recreational and
visitor opportunities on the Town Belt but the ‘hands off the Town Belt’ lobby has generally been
adamant in its opposition.
Buildings
The question of building on the Town Belt has also been debated, given the New Zealand
Company’s instruction in 1839 that the Town Belt was not to be built on.
134 Quoted in “Another Chunk,” editorial by James Hartley, The Dominion, 15 December 1970.
135 Quinn, “The Origin and Development,” 59–62
136 James Hartely, “Another Chunk,” editorial, The Dominion, 15 December 1970.
137 Wellington (City) Town Belt Reserves Act 1908
138 Cook, “Background Report,” 12
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Pragmatism appears to have driven some of the permitted building – utilitarian buildings such as
cow bales and barns were permitted under the grazing licenses of the 19th century, and buildings
that facilitated the Town Belt’s recreation purpose, such as public toilets, changing rooms, band
rotundas, maintenance depots and lookouts appear to have been generally accepted.
Dwellings were another matter, however. Those that sprang up during the 19th century were
ordered to be cleared yet, in 1903, the Reserves Committee proposed raising revenue by leasing
sections on the Town Belt for housing and in 1908 worker housing was proposed on the Town Belt.
Both proposals were abandoned in the face of stiff public opposition 139 .
By the 1970s and 1980s, the proliferation of buildings on the Town Belt including club rooms, halls,
curator houses and larger indoor venues like the Renouf Centre, resulted in public concerns about
their impact on public access and scenic quality.
Hands on the Town Belt
As mentioned earlier, citizen groups have also participated on the ground with planting and
development projects, aimed at enhancing the Town Belt as public parkland.
Planting, in particular, has been a consistent ‘hands-on’ activity, including the first efforts of the
Scenery Preservation Society in the late 19th century, the Wellington Beautifying Society plantings
in the 1950s and regular Wellington Rotary Club planting days in the 1980s. In recent years, forest
restoration groups have sprung into action at Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill), Kelburn Park,
Central Park, Brooklyn Hills, Prince of Wales Park, Mt Albert, Clifton Terrace and Mt Victoria,
supported by the Council with advice and annual allocations of native plants propagated at the
Berhampore Nursery.
6. References
Boffa Miskell, “Background Report 8, Public Submissions,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review.
Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1992.
Boffa Miskell, “Background Report 5, Landscape,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review. Wellington:
Wellington City Council, 1992.
Boffa Miskell, “Background Report 7, Administration and Management,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan
Review. Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1994.
Boffa Miskell, Green and Promised Land: Wellington’s Town Belt. Wellington: Museum of City & Sea, c2001
Boffa Miskell, Wellington Town Belt Vegetation Implementation Plan, 2000–2020. Report prepared for Wellington City
Council. Wellington: Boffa Miskell, 1999.
Burns, Patricia. Fatal Success, A History of the New Zealand Company. Edited by Henry Richardson. Auckland:
Heinemann Reed, 1989.
Cook, Walter, “Background Report 3, European History,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review. Wellington:
Wellington City Council, 1992.
Friends of the Wellington Town Belt, “About the Friends of the Wellington Town Belt.” Accessed 20 June, 2012.
http://www.townbelt.wellington.net.nz/.
Phillips, Jock, “History of immigration – British immigration and the New Zealand Company,”, Te Ara – the
Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 6 April 2010. URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/3
Quinn, Joan, “The Origin and Development of the Wellington Town Belt 1840-1940.” Masters thesis, Victoria University
of Wellington, 1966.
Temple, Philip, A Sort of Conscience, The Wakefields. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2002.
Wassilief, Margaret, “Background Report 1, Ecology,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review. Wellington:
Wellington City Council, 1994.
Wellington City Council, “Background Report 2, Māori History and Interests,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan
Review. Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1994.
139 Cook, “Background Report,” 11.
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Wellington City Council, “Background Report 6, Recreation,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review.
Wellington: Boffa Miskell, 1994.
Wellington City Council, Wellington Town Belt Management Plan. Wellington City Council: Wellington, 1995.
Wendelken, John, “Background Report 4, Environmental Forestry,” Wellington Town Belt Management Plan Review.
Wellington: Wellington City Council, 1992.
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